Bound To The Dragon's Heart
by Minty-Fivestar
Summary: An ancient prophecy tells of the Child of Legendaries and Chosen One of humans coming together to bring peace to the world, but the road to fulfillment is never easy. Can Ash and Latias overcome all odds to fulfill their destiny... and find love?
1. Chapter 1:Fulfilling An Ancient Prophecy

**Pokémon- Bound To The Dragon's Heart**

**By: Pichu Star**

_Revision 2.0 (4/28/05):_ As of a few days ago, fanfiction. net decreed that all song lyrics in stories must go. So to not risk any chance of my story or account being removed (don't want to risk nearly four years of work here...), the four lines of song lyrics in chapter 10 went. (shrugs) The song title is still included at the end of the chapter, however, just so that readers may know what the inspiring song was for the chapter. The same thing has been done to my Pokémon Colosseum fanfiction as well.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, but I own my original characters, places, and ideas.

_Notes:_ This fic is Ash/Latias, though the romance isn't going to be terribly apparent until much later. May also have some Brock/Misty, although that's entirely experimental at this point. (I'm still slaving over this fic as I revise it…) This story takes place a few months after Pokémon Heroes, the fifth Pokémon movie, and after Ash starts the Silver Conference.

_Dedication:_ This fic is dedicated to Koriku for giving me this idea, poking at me to do it, and being a good friend of mine here on the site!

Telepathy used to be indicated with those tag symbols... now I have to use backslashes like /this./

**Chapter 1: Fulfilling An Ancient Prophecy **

Across oceans.

Over mountains.

Through forests.

The Pokémon searched everywhere.

Yet… he could not be found…

For months, the young Dragon/Psychic Pokémon had searched. She had left her home on Altomare Island, finding too late what had really drawn her to him…

The red and white Pokémon finally stopped to rest on a large rock near the Kanto Sea, looking sadly into the water. She really had no idea where she was going. Where he might be…

/Might I be of some assistance/ asked a deep, strong telepathic voice in her mind, startling her. She looked up, and saw a majestic, silver and blue Pokémon floating above the water. Frightened, she ducked behind her rock. The imposing Pokémon laughed.

/Do not be afraid, Latias/ the Pokémon said, approaching her. /I sense you are still young, for a Legendary Pokémon, yet you have already discovered your mission./

Latias poked her head out, her gold eyes filled with worry. _How do you know my name?_ she thought, still too young to have been gifted with telepathic speech. Fortunately, her thoughts were picked up by the other, who smiled.

/I know a great many things/ he told her/for I am Lugia, great guardian of the sea./

_Lugia?_ Latias thought.

/Yes./

Feeling more relaxed, Latias floated up to the Legendary Psychic/Flying-type. _What do you mean, I have found my mission?_ she asked.

/I believe you already know what I speak of./

_You mean… finding him?_

Lugia nodded. /Few Legendaries are given this path to follow, young Latias. The journey may be hard, but the end results can be amazing. Do you feel up to it/

_Yes,_ replied Latias, hardly needing to hesitate. _It is not wrong… is it?_

/To follow your feelings for a human? I do not believe so, though some other Legendaries may disagree./

Latias nodded, but still looked sad. _But… I don't even know where he is, _she thought. _Where do I look?_

Lugia laughed again. /I was wondering if you would ask./ He lifted a wing, pointing along the shoreline to a forest in the distance. /Past those woods, lies the mountain tunnel humans call Victory Road. Follow it until you reach Indigo Plateau. There you may begin to find your way./

Latias flew up in excitement. _Thank you! Thank you, Lugia!_ she exclaimed in her mind. However, Lugia stopped her from leaving with his wing.

/Be careful/ he warned. /There are some humans you can trust, but many others you cannot trust as well. If they knew of your existence…/

_I'll be careful, _Latias thought. _I won't allow humans to know who I am unless I know they truly can be trusted._

/And even then, limit whom you tell./ Lugia finally flew backwards, allowing her to pass. /Good luck to you, Latias./

_Thank you, great guardian, and good-bye!_ Latias told him, flying off in the direction he had indicated. Her eyes glowed white for a second, and she vanished.

Lugia remained motionless for several more seconds, sensing Latias' invisible form flying further and further along the coast. Finally, he dove back into the sea from where he had first come, thinking on Latias' destiny.

/As it was written in legend long ago, the Chosen One of humans and a child of the Legendaries shall come together to help bring peace between humans and Pokémon…/

* * *

That night, one person at Indigo Plateau's Pokémon League gazed up into the night sky from outside, the soft breeze ruffling his spiky, red hair. Smoothing it back with a gloved hand, he turned his gaze to the Dragon Amulet he wore around his neck, which was glowing with green light.

_"Lance Scott of the Dragon Masters, your assistance is needed…"_ came a strange, raspy voice from the amulet, speaking in an ancient tongue no normal human or Pokémon could hope to understand. It sounded like a series of growls and snarls. Lance's brown eyes turned an eerie gold color, and his shadow cast behind him changed to that of a human with dragon wings and a tail.

_"Where is it needed?"_ asked Lance in the same language, his chest heaving as he snarled out the complicated words.

_"Do not fear. You need not go anywhere. It will soon come to you."_

_"What will come, great one, if I may ask?"_ questioned Lance respectfully, stiffening as he heard someone approach. But he relaxed as the person came into view in front of him, revealing himself to be Will McCaran of the Elite Four.

The voice paused in its reply, as if noticing Will also. _"Remember the ancient legend… the child of the Legendaries destined to join with the Chosen One of the humans will be of the Dragon-type," _it said. _"She is on her way as we speak…"_

Will's eyes lifted at this. His irises were glowing an odd purple color. /I sense her also, great one/ he said, using his psychic powers to not only understand the voice's language, but also to respond to it with telepathy. /Is she of the Psychic-type as well/

_"Yes, she is… Which means you may be helpful in this as well,"_ the voice growled. _"Lance, you will need to protect both her and the Chosen One when time reveals them to you. Ho-Oh and Lugia both predict great dangers to come for the two."_

Lance nodded. _"I understand. I shall be ever vigilant for both the child of Legendaries and Chosen One, great Rayquaza, lord of Dragon Pokémon."_

_"I trust you both to that," _replied Rayquaza's voice. With that, the green light faded from the amulet, and Lance's eyes and shadow returned to normal.

Will smiled jokingly. "That Draic you were speaking there… It sounded like a choking Grumpig," he teased.

Lance frowned, looking a bit winded. It took a lot of energy to speak directly with the Legendary Rayquaza. "I'd like to see you try it, Will," he teased back. "But this is no time to kid around. The very balance of the world may be decided with this prophecy coming to pass."

"Understood, O mighty Dragon Master," Will responded with a smile. "My eyes will be peeled for any sign of this child of the Legendaries."

"As will mine."

* * *

A couple other notes… This fic has a lot to do with destinies and prophecies (don't we all love those?), which may or may not spill into other fics of mine. I can promise you however that this fic ties into my Pokémon Colosseum fanfic, though that definitely won't be apparent until later in both of them. So with that in mind… please continue… 


	2. Chapter 2: Invitation To Pokemon League

**Bound To The Dragon's Heart **

**Chapter 2: Invitation To Pokémon League**

Viridian City. The place where trainers from all over Kanto, Johto, and even Hoenn came together to try and prove their mettle amongst one another. The closest city to the hallowed Indigo Plateau, home of Kanto and Johto's Pokémon League and the famed Pokémon Stadiums. Every Pokémon trainer dreamed of visiting that city at least once and challenging the many opponents there.

Just the place for Ash Ketchum to hone his skills.

"Cyndaquil, use Flamethrower!" the 14-year old shouted, as his little Fire-type leaped back from his opponent's last attack.

"Don't let up, Jolteon! Thunderbolt!" yelled Ash's opponent in response, a younger 11-year old boy. The speedy Electric-type barked a response and charged up its powerful attack. Waves of electricity crashed out towards Cyndaquil, but Ash was prepared.

"Cyndaquil, use Smokescreen instead!" he commanded.

"Cynda… quil!!!" exclaimed Cyndaquil, blowing a cloud of black smoke out of its mouth, causing Jolteon to halt in its tracks. Jolteon coughed and tried to see through the thick smoke, but in vain.

"Great work! Now, use your Flamethrower!" said Ash.

Cyndaquil leaped high up over the smoke, and blasted a jet of red-hot flames into its midst. When the smoke finally cleared, Jolteon lay on the ground, defeated.

"Oh, no! Jolteon!" cried the boy, running to his Pokémon. "Are you ok? That was a good try."

Ash approached his Pokémon as well, petting its head. "Cyndaquil, you did great. I'm very proud of you." After the two trainers had recalled their Pokémon, they went to each other, and shook hands. "That was a really good match," Ash commented. "You're a tough opponent."

The boy blushed. "Don't say that," he replied. "You totally creamed me. No wonder you made it to the top 16 in the Indigo Plateau Poké Cup Tournament, took the Orange Islands, and reached the Silver Convention!"

"Uh, well…" Ash tried to act embarrassed, but inwardly was proud of the praise he was getting. "You can make it far, too. Keep it up."

"I will, Ash!" said the boy, turning to leave. "Thanks!"

Ash smiled, and then turned around to see Pikachu watching him. "What did you think, Pikachu?" he asked, as his Electric-type ran to him.

"Pika-pika!" exclaimed Pikachu, proud of his trainer.

"Hey, Ash, there you are!" came a girl's voice from behind him. Ash turned, and smiled when he saw his friends Misty and Brock come running to him. Misty carried Togepi and a soda in her hands, and Brock carried two sodas. "Did you get in another battle?" Misty asked.

"Yep. I won, of course," said Ash, accepting the soda Brock held out to him. "He didn't even know what hit him!"

Misty and Brock exchanged glances. "Figures…" they grumbled, commenting more on Ash's bragging then Ash's winning. Of course, Ash being Ash, he didn't catch the sarcasm in their voices.

"So, Ash," continued Brock, as they sat at a nearby picnic table to rest. "Professor Oak called us when we were in the Pokémon Center. He said he was glad to hear we're all in Viridian."

Ash nodded, allowing Pikachu to take a sip of his soda (which was actually more like a gulp, but he didn't notice). "Did he say anything about the Altomare Island thing?"

"Yeah, and he said he started up a big research project as soon as he heard about it," answered Misty. "I think he's impressed that we get to see Legendary Pokémon all the time."

"Pikachu," said Pikachu, slurping down the rest of Ash's soda.

"We've probably seen more Legendaries in our lives than most people could in ten lifetimes," Brock commented.

"So anyways," continued Misty, letting Togepi have a drink through a straw, "Professor Oak said Tracey would come to meet us tomorrow at noon here, so he can show us the results of their research."

"That's cool," said Ash, excited to be able to meet their friend Tracey Sketchit again. "I can't wait to see what he's figured out." A small feeling of sadness came up in him as he thought of what happened on the island only a few months ago. He, Misty, and Brock had visited Altomare Island for a few days to sightsee, and by accident met two Legendary Pokémon, Latios and Latias. They were protected by their friends Bianca and Bianca's grandfather, and made friends with Ash right away. Ash remembered some of the interesting abilities the two Pokémon siblings had, including invisibility, sight-sharing, and turning into humans. Unfortunately, two Team Rocket crooks, Annie and Oakley, stole the Soul Dew containing the essence of a long-gone Latios, captured Latios, and took control of a machine of immense power that could help them rule the world. Ash had helped Latias to try and stop the two, but ultimately, Latios sacrificed himself to protect the city of Altomare, and from his spirit a new pair of Latios and Latias, and Soul Dew, were formed. Ash had felt so sorry for Latias, as she had lost her brother that day, but he still had fond memories of them playing together, and a picture which she had given him of himself and Pikachu.

Misty and Brock both nodded agreement. "Professor Oak also wanted to remind you about… this!" Misty pushed a folded flyer that she had in her hand across the table to him as she said this.

"What is it?" asked Ash, leaning over to read it. " 'Indigo Plateau Open House tomorrow. All trainers and those who wish to become trainers someday are invited to come and see what your Pokémon League has to offer! See Pokémon Stadiums 1 and 2, tour the Elite Four buildings, and meet the Masters there! Starts at noon, and lasts until 9 pm.' " Ash looked up, confused. "An open house at Indigo Plateau tomorrow?"

Brock nodded. "They have it every year. This will be a great chance to see what's at Pokémon League, and meet the Pokémon Masters there. Don't you want to meet the Elite Four? I bet you could pick up a few battle tips from them…"

"Battle tips? From the best of the best?" Ash beamed, and paused to take a drink of his soda (finding Pikachu had drank it all, unfortunately). "I'm definitely in! It sounds great!"

"We thought you'd like it," Misty said, "and so did Professor Oak. After we meet Tracey tomorrow, I guess we'll head to Indigo Plateau."

Ash leaped out of his seat in excitement. "Get ready, Masters, cause you're gonna meet… Ash Ketchum!" he cried.

"Pika pika!"

"Oh brother…"

"Chuki-chuki buree!"

* * *

From behind a nearby tree, a handsome young man in his late-teens listened to Ash, Misty, and Brock's conversation with interest. He had spiky, aqua-green hair that fell to above his waist, and was fastened into a ponytail with a gold hairpiece. He wore blue jeans, brown boots, and a black t-shirt with the sleeves purposely cut off. His beautiful azure eyes glimmered with interest at the mention of Altomare Island and Legendary Pokémon, and he smiled down at the melanotic Persian at his side.

"What do you think, Persian?" he asked softly. "Think a certain Giovanni of Team Rocket would pay a pretty penny to know these kids have met Legendary Pokémon?" He scratched absently at a scar stretching two-inches long underneath his left eye as he said this.

"Merrrow!" said Persian, licking at its glossy, black fur.

He laughed softly, stroking the cat Pokémon's ears. "Me too. Come on, let's see if we're right, shall we?"

Like ice to water, the two melted into the shadows, and disappeared from sight.

* * *

"Isn't she pretty?" Will asked softly, as Lance paced impatiently in front of the large window in his bedroom.

Lance stopped at his friend's words. "Isn't who pretty?" he questioned, looking at the young psychic.

"You didn't listen to a thing I just said, did you?" said Will with a sigh, rolling his eyes. "I said… my two Xatu had an egg the other week…"

"I know that…"

"… And it just hatched this morning…"

"Ok…"

"And I just asked if you think she's pretty. The baby Natu, I mean."

Lance slowly approached his friend, and looked at the adorable baby Natu chick Will was holding in his lap. Her feathers gleamed with an abnormally shiny violet and green hue, indicating her to be a "Shining" Pokémon. "She's absolutely gorgeous, Will, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart," Lance said with sincerity, admiring the Psychic/Flying-type.

Will smiled. "Thanks. I think she'll have enhanced psychic abilities as well, since her parents were high-level Pokémon."

Lance sat down in a chair nearby, sighing. "That's cool…"

Taking his sunglasses off of his face, Will gave Lance a reassuring smile. "Look Lance, it's only been one day. Just because there's been no sign of the Chosen One or Child of the Legendaries yet, doesn't mean it's the end of the world."

"I know, Will," said Lance, knowing his friend was right. "I guess I shouldn't worry that much."

"But you do have right to worry."

"Yeah." The Dragon Master ran his hand back through his hair, his usual gesture of nervousness, and tried changing the subject. "So… does the Natu have a name?"

"Mm-hm… her name will be Saturnalia."

"… Huh? 'Saturnalia'? You're naming her after a Roman festival in honor of the god Saturn?" Lance asked, bewildered. "Where's the connection?"

Will looked offended. "Saturn is a symbol of cosmic power. Psychic power… cosmic power… see a connection?"

"Well, I didn't say it was a bad name… Saturnalia… It's rather pretty, actually. But…" Lance cocked his head at the tiny Pokémon asleep in Will's lap. "It's a big name for a little Pokémon."

"Ok, I see that point," laughed Will softly. "Right… How about, for short, we call her Nalia?"

Lance grinned, and stroked Nalia's feathers gently. "Cute name, to be sure. Nalia it is."

The two friends were again silent, both thinking back to the prophecy. _I just really wished I knew who and what I was looking for,_ thought Lance, becoming worried again.

/Rayquaza said the Child of the Legendaries would soon come to us. I'm sure we'll know her when we see her./

Lance jumped about two feet in the air as soon as Will's telepathic voice entered his mind. "I didn't ask for you to butt into my thoughts, Will," he growled.

"Forgive me," replied Will, hiding his smile.

* * *

If you were wondering about what a melanotic Persian was, melanotic is the term used for animals that produce too much pigment in their fur (sort of the opposite of albinism). A good example of a real-life melanotic animal is a black panther (which is actually a melanotic leopard). So basically, the mysterious guy's Persian is a Persian with all-black fur. My science lesson for today is finished…

Saturnalia is really a Roman festival… I was learning about it in Latin class at the time I wrote this chapter.


	3. Chapter 3: A Prophecy's Origins

Bound To The Dragon's Heart

**Chapter 3: A Prophecy's Origins **

"Sir."

"Yes, what is it?" asked Giovanni testily, petting his Persian in his lap as he sat at his desk within the secret base beneath his former Viridian City gym.

The Team Rocket member who had spoken saluted. "I apologize for disturbing you, sir, but there is someone who wishes to see you."

"Who is it?"

"I don't know, sir," admitted the Team Rocket member. "But he says he has important information you may be interested in hearing. Something about Legendary Pokémon…"

At that, Giovanni was immediately interested. "Is that so? Well, show him in."

Nodding, the Team Rocket member exited the room. A few moments later, a young man with long aqua-green hair in a ponytail entered Giovanni's office, with a black Persian at his heels. "Good day," the teen spoke softly. "I assume you're Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket?"

"You would be correct, young man," replied Giovanni. "Who are you?"

The teen smiled, and bowed slightly. "My name is Alexander Tokaru, a mercenary from Johto. I can do almost any job desired, provided it is interesting enough and I receive the right amount of payment."

Giovanni nodded. "A mercenary, eh? You wouldn't happen to be the mercenary they call 'the pirate prince of Johto', would you?"

"That is what some call me," said Alexander, smiling. "Mercenaries are a rare breed of criminal in this day and age, but of the few remaining, I believe I am the best."

"Maybe you are, and maybe you aren't," Giovanni said. "What is this information you have on the Legendary Pokémon?"

Alexander shook his head. "Now, now, Giovanni," he taunted. "I'm a mercenary. I don't give away anything without receiving something in return."

Giovanni frowned. _This boy knows exactly what he's doing,_ he thought. _He knows I'll do anything to get information on the Legendaries. Well, if he wants money, then that's hardly an issue._ "It's money you want? Very well." The Team Rocket leader snapped his fingers, and in a few moments, a female Team Rocket member entered. "Bring our young friend here 10,000 Pokéyen for his valuable information," he told her. She nodded, and exited the room again. A few minutes later, she returned with a briefcase full of money, opened to show Alexander there was no trick.

"You definitely know how to speak the criminal's language," Alexander spoke softly, hiding a glint in his azure eyes. "Very well, I shall tell you. Only a few hours ago, I overheard three children talking to one another. From what I could tell, all of them, but primarily one of the boys, had been involved in the strange incident of Altomare Island."

"Where rumor has it Latios and Latias appeared?"

"Yes. And I came under the impression that they actually met both of the Legendary Pokémon as well."

Giovanni was silent, thinking about all of this. "So… you believe that these children could be the key to leading me to Latios and Latias?"

"Indeed I do," responded Alexander.

"Very well, then. Take your reward, and go. I must make plans to… meet these children," said Giovanni, dismissing Alexander casually.

However, Alexander did not move. "Sir, you do not even know who these children are. What they look like," he reminded.

Giovanni raised an eyebrow at his words, knowing them to be true. "Then tell me what they look like, so I may find them."

Alexander shook his head. "Not without a few more requests…"

"If it's more money, then…"

"No, it's not just money," interrupted the young mercenary. "I like to work for my money. Allow me to go after the children myself. In due time, I shall bring them to you."

"Why should I let you do something I could easily do myself, for less money?"

Alexander kneeled down, stroking his Persian's beautiful dark fur. "Let me remind you, sir, that the Pokémon League Open House is tomorrow. Hundreds of trainers will be at Indigo Plateau and here in Viridian City all day. And that means lots of police to watch over them as well."

Giovanni cringed. He'd nearly forgotten about the open house. And he didn't like the idea of his Rockets working in conditions with so many police around. Alexander looked up at Giovanni, reading his thoughts. "So if I go instead… not only will you be safe from those police by putting me out there, you'll also be able to get those children more effectively. After all, I'm obviously not Team Rocket. And I rarely fail in my jobs."

"But… why do you want to risk arrest by going out into the open?"

"I told you, I like to work for the money I get. What's the fun in just telling you about these children? Besides, I've already had my fun with the Johto police force. They're totally incompetent when it comes to catching me. So, I'd like to see if there's some challenge in the Kanto police force instead." Alexander paused and snuggled his face into his Persian's, making her purr. "Is that acceptable?"

_This kid's got an odd idea of having fun,_ Giovanni thought, weighing the options. _Still, I have nothing really to lose from allowing him to do this task for me. I have more than enough money to satisfy him if he succeeds. And if he fails… he will regret it. No one fails Team Rocket._ "Very well, Alexander. I will allow you to bring those children to me. If you do, I shall reward you handsomely."

Alexander stood again, with a smile upon his lips. "Thank you kindly, Giovanni. I will not let you down." The two approached each other and shook hands to finalize the deal.

"I hope you live up to your reputation," Giovanni added, as Alexander was about to leave.

Taking the briefcase from the Team Rocket member, and making her blush with an adorable wink, Alexander nodded in reply. "I shall, sir. You shall see."

* * *

After hours of traveling along Victory Road, Latias finally arrived at the edge of the forest surrounding the east side of Indigo Plateau, which was named Prera Forest. With a tired yawn, she floated up to a branch high up in a tree, lying down upon it. She had had a long day, and she was still a rather young Pokémon. Her eyes closed, and she sunk into dreams…

She dreamed of a world in which Pokémon and humans still lived in perfect harmony with one another, where Legendaries roamed free and in the open. It was a world where kings and queens still ruled the humans, and magic was no longer a thing of myth. As Latias watched this peaceful world, she heard a strange voice, speaking in a snarling language she had never heard before. But yet… she understood every word of it.

_"Latias, Child of the Legendaries, you see this perfect world before your mind's eye?"_

_Yes, I do,_ Latias replied in her mind to the voice. _It's so pretty and peaceful… What happened to make things change?_

_"The humans' tragic flaws undid this reality that now only lives in the past… Greed. Dishonesty. Hate. Selfishness. All of this contributed to the downfall of the harmony between them and us Pokémon. Only a few ruined it for all the humans… Such is the strength of evil thoughts and intentions."_

_What did those few humans do?_

_"They, like some humans still do today, desired the powers of the Legendaries. They tried to gain the power to rule the world… the powers of the elements. Of me…"_

_Of you?_ Latias asked. _But… who are you?_

_"I am the great Legendary Pokémon Rayquaza, Lord of all Dragon Pokémon. And I desire to see that peaceful world once again, even if for a brief moment. That is why I am speaking to you."_

Latias was stunned. Rayquaza? The eternal Dragon Pokémon who controlled the balance of the elements? _I… do not understand. Why me?_

Rayquaza's voice grew kinder. _"It was written long ago, as the balance between humans and Pokémon was in its dying breaths, that a child of the Legendaries and the Chosen One of the humans would come together to bring balance back once more. You are that child of the Legendaries, Latias. You must find the Chosen One, for you are bound to him by destiny."_

_Chosen One of the humans…?_ Latias thought about this for a moment, and gasped. _But… you cannot mean… him?_

_"Him?"_

_Ash Ketchum… is the Chosen One of the humans? For… for I am seeking him out… I felt that I was bound to him in a spiritual way…_

_"Yes… some Legendaries are bound to humans to better heal the balance between humans and Pokémon… But this Ash Ketchum you speak of… I do not know him, but I sense that he may be the Chosen One of the humans, if you felt bound to him. Seek him out, Latias."_

Latias felt so confused. She had started searching for Ash because she felt she was bound to him, as some Legendary Pokémon are to other humans. But for her to be bound to him because of a divine destiny… _When I find him… What happens? The world cannot simply change back to the way it was._

_"No, it will not. But even I cannot see what is to occur. I suppose we will both learn something."_ Rayquaza gave a laugh. _"Continue onwards as soon as you are able to the place called Pokémon League, on Indigo Plateau. There you will find my chosen Dragon Master, Lance Scott. You will know him when you see him. Do not be afraid to speak to him. He will help you in your quest."_

Suddenly, the world before Latias began to fade to black. She felt everything slowly melt away, even her thoughts. Before she fell back into deep sleep, she heard Rayquaza's voice once more in her mind…

"_No matter what happens, Latias, know that you must always follow your heart, even before destiny…"_

* * *

The next day, at about 10:00 AM, Ash, Misty, and Brock exited the Pokémon Center after a good, late breakfast to see a surprising sight. Viridian City was now full of trainers and their Pokémon talking and battling one another. It was about as jam-packed as a sell-out concert. Ash could barely squeeze through the crowd of people.

"Wow! I've never seen so many trainers in one place since the Poké Cup tournament two years ago!" Misty gasped, trying to follow Ash. She looked back to make sure Brock was still behind her, and groaned when she saw him talking to every single pretty girl in sight. "Oh brother…" She walked up to him, and dragged him along by the ear. "Come on…"

"Ow! Misty, that's my ear! Ow!!!" Brock yelped, struggling helplessly to escape.

In the meantime, Ash found a less-dense area to get some breathing room: the picnic tables that he had battled next to the day before. "Did you see how many people were back there?" he asked Pikachu, sitting down. "They even had most of the streets closed. This open house must be a really big thing."

"Pikachu," Pikachu replied, nodding.

"Hey, Ash, looks like you found a place that isn't full of people," Misty said, as she and Brock finally caught up. "That's a relief. I was starting to think I would be smothered by all of them."

"I wouldn't mind being smothered by all the pretty girls…" muttered Brock, before Misty's mallet came down on his head. "OW!!!"

Ash shook his head at his friends, watching Brock rub his head. He was then suddenly aware of a strange scratching noise right nearby. Turning around, Ash was surprised to see a familiar boy with shoulder-length black hair held up by a headband kneeling next to him, his pencil sketching furiously over his pad of paper. "Hold that pose, just a little bit longer…" he murmured. "All right, done! What do you think?" He held up the pad to show Ash the picture of Pikachu he had done in just a few seconds.

Ash beamed happily. "It's great, like always, Tracey!"

Misty and Brock looked up also. "Hey, Tracey!" exclaimed Misty. "How are you?"

Tracey Sketchit stood up again, smiling at his friends. "I'm doing great, how about all of you?"

"We're great too," replied Ash, letting Tracey sit down. "How's it been at the lab in Pallet Town?"

"Lately, it's been a little bit hectic," replied Tracey. "The professor's been researching up a storm about Altomare Island and Latios and Latias… To tell you the truth, I'm glad to get a breather from it for a while."

Brock nodded. "So Tracey, Professor Oak said you would show us the results of your research."

"Yeah, that's right." Tracey put his backpack on the table, and took a folder out of it. He opened it up to reveal several drawings and papers. "Most of the stuff I'm sure you already know about. The Soul Dew, the ancient Aerodactyl and Kabutops…"

"We know all about that," Ash said, with some impatience. "We experienced all of it!"

"Right," said Tracey, blushing. "However… we did unearth some stuff you may not know about." Tracey took out two pages, one with writing on it and the other with a photocopy of an ancient picture. As Ash, Misty, and Brock examined the picture, Tracey began to read. " 'Long ago, when kings and queens still ruled the world, and magic was as real as computers are today, Pokémon and humans lived in perfect harmony with one another. The Legendary Pokémon were seen more commonly, and peace filled the world. One might call it the Golden Age of Peace between humans and Pokémon.

" 'However, this peace was shattered forever, when several greedy humans desired to gain the powers of the Legendaries for themselves. In their attempts to take these powers, the balance of nature was destroyed, and the Legendaries all but disappeared from the world to hide their powers away. But there was one legend written in the Ruins of Alph in Johto, which outlines a way balance might return.' "

"How, Tracey?" asked Misty, her eyes wide.

" 'As written on the walls of the Ruins, a child of the Legendaries will come together with the Chosen One of the humans to help bring peace and balance to the world once more. The Child of the Legendaries will be of the Dragon-type, and the Chosen One will have already set bonds with the Legendary Pokémon of Kanto and Johto.' " Tracey set the paper down, and pointed to the photocopy. "That picture is of a stone carving within the Unknown Dungeon near Cerulean City. It shows what life was like back in the Golden Age."

Brock looked over the picture carefully. It showed several people; some were tending fields, others were playing with children, and still others were holding their hands up to the sky, where four Pokémon flew. "These Pokémon… this one is a Mew, isn't it?" he asked, pointing to the smallest one.

"Yes, that's right," replied Tracey.

"And these two… these are Lugia and Ho-Oh, aren't they?" said Misty, referring to the majestic Pokémon of Johto.

Ash frowned at the last Pokémon. It looked like a strange, serpentine-dragon. "What's this Pokémon?" he asked Tracey. "I've never seen anything like it."

"I don't know. Even the professor is stumped. We suspect it may be a Legendary of Hoenn, and we sent the picture to Professor Burch there to verify if we are right. But other than that…" Tracey brushed some of his hair out of his face, smiling. "It's a total mystery!"

Ash nodded. "That's all right," he said. "Mysteries are cool! And speaking of cool…" The young trainer turned his head towards where Pokémon League was, a big grin on his face. "I bet that open house is gonna be really cool!"

"It will be," Tracey said, putting his stuff back into his bag. "It's one of the biggest events in Kanto."

"But we still have two hours," reminded Misty. "What should we do in the meantime?"

"Well… we could always go around and see the different types of Pokémon the other trainers have," suggested Tracey. "Last year, there was a purple Ditto, and this one trainer even had a Doduo born with only one head!"

"Now that's strange," commented Brock.

"But it sounds like fun!" said Ash, leaping up. "Let's go!" He began running towards the closest crowd of people several yards away, much to the dismay of all his friends.

"Ash! Wait!" yelled Misty. "Grr… He's so blockheaded. Acts first, and thinks later. If at all."

Tracey smiled. "But it seems to work for him."

"True…"


	4. Chapter 4: Slowly Coming Together Or Are...

**Bound To The Dragon's Heart **

**Chapter 4: Slowly Coming Together… Or Are We?**

Ash excitedly pushed through the throng of trainers, with Pikachu closely in tow behind him. He wanted to see what everyone was looking at. _I bet it's one of those unusual Pokémon that Tracey said the trainers have! I wonder what it is!_

Finally, he made it to the center of the multitude, and stopped in utter amazement at the sight of a beautiful Persian with sleek, soft black fur next to a young man sitting on the edge of a fountain. He was petting his lovely Pokémon affectionately, smiling shyly at all the comments and complements he was getting. Ash was so fascinated by this rarity of a Persian, and approached the trainer to examine it closer. The young man, obviously not over 20-years old, looked up at Ash and smiled kindly.

"Hello there," he said to Ash. "Do you like my Persian?"

"You bet!" exclaimed Ash. "It's really cool! I've never seen a black Persian before."

"They're very rare, but very beautiful," the teen said, brushing some of his spiky, aqua green hair out of his eyes. "I figured it wouldn't be right to just keep her gorgeousness all to myself. Isn't that right, Persian?" He snuggled his face into the Persian's neck, and she purred happily.

"Hey Ash!" yelled Misty, pushing through the crowd from the same way Ash had, Brock and Tracey behind her. She stopped at the sight of the black Persian just as Ash had, surprised. "Wow! A black Persian!"

At her appearance, a sly gleam seemed to flicker in the teen's eyes for a moment. He got to his feet, approaching Misty with enthusiasm. "Well, who do we have here?" he asked, in the most awed voice one could imagine.

Ash smiled innocently. "Oh, this is Misty, Brock, and Tracey. I'm Ash, by the way."

"Nice to meet you," Tracey said.

"My… This is certainly my lucky day, being graced with the presence of such a fine young lady as yourself," the teen continued, barely glancing at Brock or Tracey. "Misty, what a pretty name. My name is Alexander, I am most pleased to meet you." As he finished with his flattering tirade, he took Misty's hand and gave it a kiss, which made her blush furiously.

Ash and Tracey exchanged glances. "Somebody's a flirt," whispered Tracey to his friend, who nodded. Brock's brow furrowed somewhat, but didn't say a thing.

The crowd around them started to break up out of disappointment that Alexander had chosen these four to talk to, and soon the five trainers, Pikachu, Togepi, and Persian were left alone next to the fountain. Alexander smiled brightly at Misty once more, before turning to Ash again. "I see you are a trainer, and a skilled trainer as well, Ash. Just a glance at your Pikachu tells me you've battled long and hard."

"Well, just a little—" began Ash, but he was pushed out of the way by Misty.

"I'm a trainer too, Alexander!" she told him excitedly, her cheeks still red. "In fact, I used to be the Gym Leader of Cerulean City!"

"Oh really?" asked Alexander, sounding impressed. "So you train Water types?"

Misty nodded. "Water types are the best!"

Tracey coughed somewhat. "I'm a Pokémon watcher," he added quietly, just to make sure he wasn't forgotten in the conversation.

"Uh… and I'm a Pokémon breeder," stated Brock. "Are you a trainer?"

"Oh, I… guess you could say that," Alexander replied, kneeling to pet his Persian some more. "I don't go for badges, but I'm a pretty tough contender, if I do say so myself. How about the rest of you?"

"I'm going to the Silver Conference very soon," declared Ash. "I've also been in the Indigo Poké Cup tournament, and won the Orange Islands championships!"

Alexander laughed, his azure eyes sparkling. "That is an accomplishment! I certainly feel very lucky to have met such friendly young trainers such as yourselves. This is the first time I've ever been to Kanto, much less Viridian City."

Misty stepped forward and knelt next to him, privately taking the chance to touch his long ponytail very discreetly. It felt as soft as it looked. "I'd be glad to show you around the city!" she offered.

Alexander hadn't missed the fact that Misty touched his ponytail, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he pulled his most flattering smile, touching Misty's hand as he turned to her. "Would you, Misty? That would be great!" he said.

Ash rolled his eyes. "Someone's infatuated…"

Tracey shuffled impatiently. "Ya know… I'd love to help give a tour too, but… um… I'd like to see more Pokémon around the city before Open House. Perhaps we can all meet up later?"

"Uh, me too," said Ash, wanting to get away from the flirting Alexander and the love-struck Misty. "We can find each other again at Pokémon League at the Open House."

"That's fine!" replied Misty, a little too excitedly. "We'll be just fine!"

_I don't like this guy,_ Brock was thinking all the while. _I hate to say so, but Misty isn't the kind of girl that guys normally fall for. Either he's got a thing for tomboys, or… something else…_

"Hey Brock!" yelled Misty, jolting him out of his thoughts. "Are you going with Ash and Tracey?"

"Um, uh… No, I'll come with you two," Brock replied, making up his mind quickly. _If this Alexander guy is a real jerk, Misty isn't going to go with him alone._ "I'd be happy to help give a tour too."

Misty looked annoyed at his answer, but Alexander didn't seem to mind at all. "Thank you, Brock," he said.

Ash and Tracey exchanged another glance. "All right…" said Tracey slowly. "See ya…"

"Bye, see you at the Open House at noon!" called Alexander, getting pulled by an energetic Misty down the road.

"Now what was that?" asked Tracey, as soon as the three had gone. "I understand that Misty has a crush on that guy, and maybe he has a crush on her too—or maybe he's just flirting—but why did Brock go too? I had a feeling he didn't feel too comfortable about that charmer."

Ash shrugged. "What does it matter? He probably wants to get the chance to go flirt with some girls himself. Come on, let's go check out more Pokémon." He and Pikachu began racing to the next nearest crowd of trainers in a rush.

Tracey sighed. "You're probably right," he said, following his friend across Viridian City.

* * *

At the same time that Ash and his friends were talking with Alexander, Latias was beginning her journey again, flying invisibly towards the buildings of Pokémon League again. The wooded area of Prera Forest gave way to a long field of grass, full of wild grazing Pokémon such as Tauros, Rhyhorn, Stantler, and Rapidash. The Pokémon looked up in confusion as Latias passed, and she giggled silently at their bewilderment. In the distance, she could see the Pokémon League Headquarters for the Elite Four steadily growing closer and closer as she approached.

_This is it,_ she thought excitedly. _Here is where I will get closer to finding Ash, and figuring out what my destiny really means. I can hardly wait…_

* * *

_"Lance… She is coming…" _

Startled, Lance looked up where he had been going over some plans for the agenda that evening, and saw his Dragon Amulet glowing again. He sighed, and slowly allowed himself to fall into the trance-like state of talking to Rayquaza. _"Do you speak of the Child of the Legendaries?"_ Lance questioned, in the ancient Draic language.

_"Of course. I spoke with her last night, and she knows to go to you immediately."_

_"Very well. But, if I may ask, what sort of Pokémon is she?"_ asked Lance, blinking his now-amber eyes thoughtfully.

Rayquaza growled in an amused way. _"Impatience is not a good virtue for a Dragon Master, Lance Scott. For we dragons have weathered time for centuries upon centuries. You should take our example."_

Lance bowed apologetically to Rayquaza's voice. _"Forgive me. I know I have a lot to learn."_

_"It is quite all right. Prepare for her arrival now. She is young, and will need your help to realize her destiny…"_ With those words, the Dragon Amulet stopped glowing, and Lance's eyes and shadow returned to normal. The Dragon Master heaved a sigh of exhaustion, collapsing into a nearby chair.

"The Child of the Legendaries, and the Open House today as well…?" he groaned, getting up again and crossing his room to his balcony window. "Man… I sure do have my work cut out for me…"

* * *

"When does Open House start?" asked Ash impatiently, staring up at the main doors to Pokémon League. "I'm getting bored." After walking around Viridian City for a while, he, Tracey, and Pikachu had finally made their way to the main building where the Open House would be held. The ornately decorated exterior radiated a sense of pride and nobility, displaying designs of the three Legendary Bird Pokémon of Kanto. However, the majesty of the hallowed building for trainers was lost on Ash, who was anxious to get in.

Tracey looked up from where he was drawing Pikachu. "You're hopeless, Ash," he said. "We still have about an hour to go."

Ash sighed and sat down, taking his hat off. The wind ruffled his spiky black hair, bringing with it a strange feeling, something he recognized from the past…

"Did you sense that?" he questioned Tracey, leaping to his feet and searching around them.

"Pika?" Pikachu sniffed the breeze, and his ears perked up as well. "Pika-chu?"

Tracey was at a complete loss. He looked around as well, seeing if he could sense whatever it was that Ash had. He saw many other trainers waiting for doors to open as well, wild Pidgey playing in the fountain, trees rustling in the breeze… But nothing out of the ordinary… "Sense what?" the young Pokémon watcher asked finally.

Ash's eyes widened. He knew that feeling… as sure as he knew himself… Could it be? "It has to be!" he cried, turning to his friends. "It's… Latias."

"Latias?" Tracey gasped, remembering to keep his voice down so others couldn't overhear. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I am! Right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" acknowledged the Electric-type eagerly.

"Where?" asked Tracey. "I don't see it."

"Of course not! Latias wouldn't let you see her if she didn't want to be seen!" Ash was getting really excited. More than anything, he wanted to see his Legendary Pokémon friend again, even if just for a moment… She was a really special friend to him, and the thought of her being nearby was almost unreal. "Come on, Tracey! Let's go find her!"

"Huh? But… Ash…" Tracey watched Ash wander around a little, as if tracing Latias' position, and then began to approach a fence that blocked off the main plaza of Indigo Plateau from a grassy field reserved for Pokémon preservation by the Elite Four. "Wait, Ash! We can't go in there!"

Ash stopped at the tall fence, gently placing a hand on the links and peering through it. He could see Prera Forest way on the other side of the field, and also the back of the Elite Four Headquarters Building nearby. The familiar feeling blew stronger than ever across his face, and he gripped the fence tightly. "Come on, Tracey. Don't you want to see Latias?"

"Well, sure, of course I do," replied Tracey nervously. "But if we get caught in there, we'll be kicked out and banned from the Open House! Are you absolutely sure you want to risk that?"

Ash nodded. "Latias is a friend! I want to see how she's been since we left Altomare Island." He started climbing the fence, Pikachu right behind him.

"But Ash…" Tracey trailed off when he saw there was no slowing Ash down, and groaned in exasperation. "I don't know…"

With another pause of uncertainty, Tracey began to follow Ash up the fence, into certain trouble…

* * *

_This is it!_ Latias thought happily, as she flew up to the first building she arrived at; the Elite Four Headquarters Building. _Now I must find the Dragon Master so he can help me… But how will I know him when I see him?_

Latias paused in midair at this perplexing thought. How would she be able to tell the Dragon Master from other humans? Would he look different? Was he able to see her with magic powers?

_No, that's silly,_ she realized. _I'll just fly around and see if I can know him when I see him. Surely he'll be looking for me as well? Rayquaza said I would be able to know him…_

After a bit of thought, she decided it would be a good idea to check each window on the building to see if she could spot him. She knew this might not be very effective; heck, she didn't even know if this was the building he was even in right now. But what else could she do? Invisibly, she flew from window to window, checking for a sign of any human. Most of the rooms she peered into were empty, and the only people she saw were a woman with long, blue hair accompanied by a Murkrow, and a man with strange clothing and a cape, accompanied by a Venonat. Latias doubted that either of them was the Dragon Master.

As she rounded the corner of the building, she was startled to almost run smack into a young man standing on one of the many balconies on this building. He had short, spiky purple hair held back with a headband, and a purple suit. Light purple sunglasses sat on his face, and he had the most calm, thoughtful look on his kind face. A small Natu, no doubt only recently hatched, was perched on his left shoulder. Latias was intrigued by this man. She didn't think he was the Dragon Master, but… there was something about him…

The young man's brow suddenly crinkled, and, to Latias' horror, he turned to stare directly at her, even though she was completely invisible. She could see his pupils turn a glowing, violet color, and she sensed an instant surge of psychic energy come off of him. _Oh no! He's psychic!_ Latias thought. _He can sense my own psychic energy!_

/Don't be afraid. I can sense you there quite as easily as if you were visible. There's nothing to hide,/ the man spoke to her, in a telepathic voice. His voice was calm and comforting, putting Latias more at ease. /My name is Will McCaran, and as you may have guessed, I possess psychic powers./

_What do you want from me?_ Latias thought at him.

/You are the Child of the Legendaries… aren't you?/

_How do you know about that? _

Will smiled at her question. /I am a close friend of Lance Scott… the current Dragon Master. He is looking for you, and I have been instructed to help him,/ he replied.

_You know the Dragon Master? Take me to him!_ demanded Latias. _I must find him!_

Suddenly, a new telepathic voice broke into the conversation. /You don't have to be afraid. Will really is Lance's friend! Please show yourself…/ it pleaded innocently.

Latias was startled, and turned to observe the tiny Natu on Will's shoulder. Her feathers were beautifully shiny, and her wide eyes stared through Latias as innocently as a newborn child's could possibly be. _Was that you?_ the Dragon/Psychic-type questioned.

/It's ok. This is my Natu, Nalia. She was born only yesterday, but her psychic powers are greatly enhanced,/ explained Will gently. /Now, if you wish, we can take you to Lance… but it would be much easier if you did show yourself…/

_I… trust you… The both of you,_ Latias replied. _Please take me to Lance. It is of great importance…_ As she spoke, she slowly dropped the invisibility around her, and revealed herself to Will and Nalia. The two both widened their eyes in wonder at the sight of the rare Legendary Pokémon before them.

"Well, aren't you a pretty Pokémon?" commented Will out loud, smiling broadly at Latias. "What is your name?"

_Latias,_ replied Latias shyly, glad that Will was not trying to catch her… as Bianca warned some humans might try to do.

/Wow! I've never seen a Pokémon like you before!/ gasped Nalia.

"Of course not, sweetie, you've only a day old. Plus, Latias is a very rare Pokémon anyway," Will explained to his baby Pokémon gently. Then he looked back up at Latias. "Well then, follow me, Latias. Lance's room is just down the hall." He turned around and began leading the way into the Elite Four Headquarters Building.

Latias smiled cheerfully, and, before following him, stared up into the sky. _Wherever you are… I'll find you, Ash! I know that whatever this destiny is, you're a part of it. I can feel it…_

With those words, the Dragon/Psychic-type floated after Will, preparing to meet the Dragon Master himself, Lance Scott.


	5. Chapter 5: Dragon's Spirituality

**Bound To The Dragon's Heart**

**Chapter 5: Dragon's Spirituality **

After no more than ten minutes of being led around the city by a very-energetic Misty, Alexander was starting to become irritated.

Not that Misty was being annoying, not really. It was just that Alexander had little interest in her, and he was beginning to feel he was wasting his time terribly. _If she was just a little older… And she wasn't so talkative… Then this wouldn't be so bad. But…_ He glanced over at Misty, who was excitedly pointing out all the souvenir shops in Viridian City to him as of now. Much to his discomfort, she was also making sure to point out all the souvenirs that suggested romance in any shape or form as well. _Just because I flirt a little, doesn't mean I'm going to propose to her or something…_

"Look at this! Isn't this cute!" asked Misty, picking up a little figurine of a Nidorino and Nidorina cuddling up from a table out in front of a store. "What do you think, Alexander?"

"Real cute," Alexander replied, although his smile was forced. _Sweet Lugia, help me…_

"How about you, Brock?" asked Misty, just to make sure he wasn't being left out of the whole ordeal. Brock was examining a gold coin on the table as he looked up.

"It's nice," Brock said. Then he held up the coin for both Misty and Alexander to see. "Check this out, though. Isn't it cool?"

Misty peered at it curiously. "What is it?" she asked, taking it from her friend's hands. "It's kinda weird…" The gold coin had the image of a dragon's head engraved on the front, and some strange writing in tiny letters on the back.

"It's a Dragon Coin, from the ancient civilization," Alexander spoke up, rubbing his Persian's head as she groomed herself beside him. "Long ago, when monarchs still governed the world, and magic existed quite commonly, there were many different kingdoms spread all over. Most of the kingdoms turned into the cities we now have today. And each of the royal families were aligned with a specific element."

"Whoa, wait. How do you know all that?" asked Brock suspiciously.

Alexander shrugged. "I love studying the history of this land… especially the time of the Golden Age of Peace, which is when the royals ruled Kanto and Johto."

"The Golden Age of Peace…" murmured Misty, thinking of the story Tracey had told them. It sounded awfully similar…

"Yes. But what was I saying? Oh yes. The royal families each were aligned with a specific Pokémon element. For example, the royals that ruled here in Viridian City were aligned with… Ground-types, I believe. And in accordance with their alignment, they trained similar-type Pokémon."

"So they used to train Ground-types here," concluded Brock.

"Yes," Alexander replied. "I believe it was because of a covenant made with the Legendary Pokémon long ago. But back to the Dragon Coin. Probably the most powerful of the royal families was the royal family of Blackthorn City, aligned with the Dragon-types."

"Dragon-types? Isn't that the type that Clair, the Gym Leader of Blackthorn, trains?" asked Misty.

"You're correct, and that's no coincidence. The royals of Blackthorn had a degree of elemental power like no other royal family. Because of their divine ties to the all-powerful Dragon Pokémon, they developed unique rituals and pieces of culture. That's why you see the unique architecture of the Gym and temples there, and the ritualistic clothing Clair wears too. I've also heard that the Blackthorn royals had a special language they used to communicate with all Dragon Pokémon."

Misty turned the coin back over to the strange writing. "Is this it right here?"

"Could be. But no one can decipher its meaning. Well, except for the Dragon Master."

"Dragon Master?"

Alexander nodded. "Surely you've heard of Lance Scott, the current Pokémon League Champion and head of Pokémon League?"

"Yes, and I also knew he trained Dragon-types," said Misty. "But I didn't know he was a Dragon Master... whatever that is."

"The Dragon Master. He's the only person on this earth capable of understanding the secret language of the Dragons. He was gifted with that ability the day he was initiated as the current Dragon Master."

Brock nodded. "That's cool, but how did he become a Dragon Master? Was it something he had to apply for?"

"No, it was something he was destined to become as soon as he was born. You see, they say the Scott family is directly descended from the royals of Blackthorn City long ago. He has the royal blood."

"Seriously?" Misty couldn't believe that.

"Absolutely," smiled Alexander. "In fact, they say several of the current Gym Leaders are also descended from the royals of their respective cities. Not all of them, but a couple. Usually the really spiritual ones like… Morty of Ecruteak City, and Falkner of Violet City. They're the ones I can name off the top of my head. So who knows, Misty? You might be a descendant of the royals of Cerulean City."

Misty's eyes shone. "You mean… I could really be a princess?"

"Sure. It's possible."

"Um…" Brock tried to get back on track, despite the interesting thought that he could be of royal lineage himself. "So, um… that still doesn't answer what the Dragon Coins are for."

"Oh. Right. Well, they say they are special tokens of friendship, given to loved ones or close friends of the Blackthorn royals. They've been passed down over the years, though I suppose this particular one got lost along the lines. Wonder who it could have been meant for…" Alexander thought for a moment, and then shrugged. "Whatever the case, I guess it's free game to anyone with enough money who wants it."

"Must be expensive," murmured Misty.

"The display says 10,000 Pokéyen," said Brock. "That's quite a bit."

Misty sighed. "Too bad. I would have bought it if it were cheap. Right, Togepi? You'd like to have that Dragon Coin too, wouldn't you?" She tickled Togepi at this, who giggled. "What about you, Alexander?"

"Who wouldn't want a valuable item like that, Misty?" he responded smoothly. "If I had money to spare, I'd buy it just for you."

A red color spread out across Misty's cheeks at this remark, and she giggled in embarrassment. Brock frowned, and turned away. "Let's go, then," he said with a hint of impatience and annoyance, continuing down the crowded street.

Misty rolled her eyes at him as she replaced the Dragon Coin in its case on the souvenir table. "He's been moody all day," she commented to Alexander. "I wonder what's wrong."

Alexander smiled, watching Misty continue on ahead. "Wouldn't you like to know? I think I have an idea…" With a quiet laugh to dismiss his amusement at Brock and Misty's situation, his eyes fell back on the Dragon Coin in its case again, where Misty had returned it. Alexander moved as if to go, but instead, quietly released a Pokéball behind his back, underneath the table where the souvenirs were displayed. An Espeon appeared without a sound, trained well to fit right in with her master's job. "The Dragon Coin atop the table, my beauty," Alexander whispered almost inaudibly, knowing she would use her psychic powers to hear him. As he strode off down the street to catch up with Misty, Espeon focused her psychic abilities to "see" the case and coin her master had mentioned. Her eyes glowed, and the case began to slowly, unnoticeably, levitate and move away. Espeon cleverly maneuvered the case to where her teammate, Persian, sat waiting. As soon as the case was in reach, Persian grabbed and closed it in her mouth, and bounded off into a side alley to catch up with Alexander. Espeon departed also, but in another direction.

Alexander peered back towards the table to observe his two faithful Pokémon slinking off, and the shop owner's complete ignorance of what had just happened to his valuable merchandise. The young mercenary smiled again. "Sorry," he murmured under his breath. "Couldn't help myself."

* * *

"Ash, seriously, this is not a good idea," Tracey hissed at his friend, as they crept quietly along the side of the Pokémon League Living and Training Quarters Building within Pokémon League property. "Do you even know where we're going?"

Ash closed his eyes and paused. "Hmm… I think… she's right above us. Somewhere…" Both he and Pikachu looked up with frowns on their faces, trying to spot Latias.

"This is crazy… How can you sense where Latias is?" asked Tracey, vainly trying to search for the Legendary Pokémon as well.

"I don't know… I just can… Wait… she's not right above us… She's… inside, on one of the upper floors, I think."

"She's inside the Pokémon League? Why?"

"How would I know? So… I'm wondering how we get in?"

"What?! Ash, have you got completely nuts?!" Tracey grabbed Ash by the shoulders, shaking him. "Just being on Pokémon League property is bad enough! But if we sneak into the main building of Pokémon League, where the Elite Four and the Pokémon Masters live, and the strongest Pokémon in the world are trained, we'll be dead if security finds us! We'd be thrown in jail for a serious case of trespassing! So, NO WAY, Ash. Forget it!"

Ash looked dismayed. "But… this is Latias. I thought you wanted to see her."

"I do, Ash," Tracey told him, calming down a little. "But breaking into Pokémon League is too extreme. Maybe it's just in your imagination, or you sense another Legendary Pokémon… Pokémon Grand Masters are sometimes bound to a Legendary Pokémon or two…"

"Are you saying this is all in my head?" Ash demanded angrily. He was really disappointed that Tracey wasn't seeing things his way, and just as mad that Tracey also didn't want to keep going to find Latias. "Fine, then! You can go back and play it safe! But I'm gonna keep going! Friends are more important than some dumb old rules!"

"Ash, don't say that! Pokémon League is the ultimate Pokémon authority here! If you break rules, they could suspend your trainer's license or something…"

"Let them try! They'd have to—" Ash stopped abruptly at the sound of footsteps approaching them not too far away, around the corner from whence they had first come. He, Tracey, and Pikachu all stood totally petrified as they heard voices accompanying the footsteps as well…

"Do you think they came this way?"

"Probably. All the kids who try to sneak in usually wanna see the Pokémon League Living and Training Quarters…"

"Lucky some other trainers saw 'em, and gave us the tip-off. Wouldn't want a couple of kids roaming around Pokémon League during the Open House…"

"Ash, it's security! I told you we'd get in trouble!" whispered Tracey frantically.

Ash had gone white with fright, similar to the times when he and Gary occasionally got caught doing foolish things growing up in Pallet Town. "Calm down, there's got to be a way out of this…" As he said that, a door several yards away on the building opened, and a man exited, pushing a cart carrying several boxes of Poké Chow. Apparently, he was off to feed the Pokémon of the reservation. Unaware of Ash and Tracey pressed against the wall nearby, he continued towards the fields to where all the Stantler, Ponyta, Tauros, and other Pokémon were.

Conveniently leaving the door open behind him.

"Well, there you have it," Ash said weakly, starting towards the open door. "If we hurry, the guards won't catch us."

"But Ash, we can't…" Tracey began.

"Hey you! Kids! Hold it right there!" The guards had rounded the corner, and spotted Ash and Tracey right away. "You're trespassing!"

Tracey sweatdropped, and immediately began running madly with Ash towards the door of salvation. "On second thought… maybe we can…"

"Stop, you two!" yelled the guards, in hot pursuit.

"Hurry, Tracey!" called Ash, who had made it to the door first. As soon as Tracey got himself into the building, Ash slammed it shut behind him. The guards tried to open the door, but fortunately for Ash and Tracey, the door was locked from the inside, and required a key to open. "Whew… that was close…" Ash sighed, trying to ignore the guards' frustrated banging and muffled yelling.

"What do you mean by that? Now we're in big trouble," Tracey pointing out. "Well… I guess since we're in here, we can explore a little… We're doomed as it is…"

Ash smiled. "That's true. Well, let's go find some stairs, and start looking for Latias. I know she's in here, that feeling's stronger than ever! Ok, Pikachu, wanna lead the way?"

"Pika!" affirmed Pikachu, hopping off Ash's shoulder and leading the way down the hallway of the building. As Ash followed his Pokémon, Tracey gave one last look at the door before bringing up the rear of the procession.

_Why did it have to be me?_ he thought despairingly. _I should have went with Brock and Misty instead…_

* * *

At about the same moment as Ash and Tracey were getting into trouble, Latias was accompanying Will and Nalia along to Lance's room. The young Dragon/Psychic-type was growing nervous as they continued on and on through the building. _I hope this isn't a trick… But no, I don't think it is. It can't be. Will and Nalia are so nice, and I can sense their honesty. Maybe I'm just nervous about meeting the Dragon Master._

"Here we are, Latias," Will said, stopping at a door at the end of the hallway. It had a gold dragon crest, similar to a coat-of-arms, hanging askew on the front of it. Will paused to straighten the crest before knocking on the door. "Don't be afraid of Lance, he's very nice."

The door opened, and at last, Latias got her first glimpse of the Dragon Master.

He was quite younger than Latias expected, about the same age as Will, which Latias judged to be about 19 to 20-years old. He wore all black, from his tunic and pants to his boots, cape, and gloves. A gold clip decorated with the dragon crest like on the door clipped the cape neatly around his neck. Also hanging from his neck was a strange, green amulet, with a symbol on it that Latias felt was so familiar, yet she had never seen it before. She watched his deep brown eyes go wide with amazement, his hand go up to run his fingers through his spiky red hair. This was Lance Scott, the Dragon Master.

"Whoa." That was the only word Lance seemed able to form. He looked stunned. "What do we have here… um… Will?"

Will smiled. "This is the Child of the Legendaries that we've been waiting for. Her name is Latias. I thought you might want to see her right away."

"Of course," replied Lance, recovering from his initial surprise. "Come on in, Latias." He motioned for the young Dragon/Psychic-type to come inside the room, which she did hesitantly. "Don't be scared."

As Will followed her inside, and Lance closed the door securely behind him, the Dragon Master instantly grabbed his friend and backed him to the door. "Where in the world did you find her almost effortlessly?" he whispered fiercely at Will. "I've come close to tearing my hair out in frustration, and you just knock on my door and say: 'Hey Lance, I've found the Child of the Legendaries'? How?"

"Calm down, ok?" Will said, taking Lance's hands off his shoulders. "Why don't you talk to her first? That's certainly more important than finding out how I found her."

Lance took a deep breath. "Right." He turned around to face Latias, who was sniffing at the pencils on Lance's desk. "Um… ok… Latias…"

Latias turned and gave him an odd look, as if she had just asked him something. Poor Lance just stood staring at her in stupid confusion for several awkward moments until Will slapped his forehead.

"Oh, Lance… I forgot, Latias isn't old enough to speak in telepathy, you have to read her thoughts to understand her," he informed his friend.

"Well, gee, Will, thanks a lot. It's too bad I don't have psychic powers to do that, though, or…" He suddenly trailed off at a thought. "Wait a minute… I don't need psychic powers to talk to her, she's a Dragon Pokémon!"

"That's right…" murmured Will knowingly.

Latias, in the meantime, was staring helplessly at Lance and Will, bewildered as to what they were talking about. Nalia fluttered over to Latias and shook her tiny, feathered head in a somewhat-sympathetic way. /I know what they're going to do,/ Nalia said importantly.

Latias looked at the baby Natu. _What? What are they going to do?_ she asked.

/Since Lance can't read your thoughts like Will and me can, he's going to talk to you in Dragon-speak./

_In what?_

/I don't know what it's called… but Will says it's a secret language only Dragons know, and I guess the Dragon Master too. It's kinda creepy, if you ask me. Do you know it?/

_I don't think so… _

"Latias?" Latias was jolted out of her mental conversation with Nalia as Lance spoke. He approached her and slowly knelt down before her. "Listen… since you can't speak to me normally, and I don't have psychic powers to listen to your thoughts, I'm going to try speaking to you in a different way. It's going to tap into your thoughts and allow me to hear them just like if I had psychic powers. I also am going to have to speak to you using Draic. Do you know what that is?"

Latias shook her head.

"Well, it's an ancient language all Dragon Pokémon can understand. I can speak it, by aid of the Dragon Amulet I have here." Lance touched the strange necklace around his neck. "You may have never heard it before, but you'll be able to understand it, I promise. Now… will you open your thoughts to me?"

Latias was confused by what that meant, but nodded.

"Good. Close your eyes and will yourself to speak to me…"

As Latias closed her eyes to do what Lance had asked, a strange aura filled the room, and the Dragon Amulet around Lance's neck glowed a bright green color. Frightened, Nalia fluttered back to Will, who petted her comfortingly. Lance's shadow began to change, seeming to grow dragon wings and a tail, though nothing happened to Lance himself. After a few moments, Lance slowly opened his eyes, which had changed drastically from brown to amber-colored. He had finished his spiritual transformation to gain the true Dragon Master's powers.

_"Latias… do you understand me?"_ Lance asked, in a slow series of snarls and growls which barely sounded human. Nalia squeaked quietly in surprise at the language. She had heard this Draic for the first time that morning, when Lance had been speaking to Rayquaza earlier, and she hadn't liked it at all. A draconic echo seemed to accompany Lance's voice as he spoke, which made it all the more creepier. It was as if Lance wasn't really Lance anymore…

Latias opened her eyes, startled. That was the language she had heard in her dream! The language Rayquaza had spoken to her in! _Yes! I understand you!_ she thought.

_"Good. I can hear your thoughts. That means the spiritual merge worked. I've only done it three times before…"_

_What do you mean? What is a "spiritual merge"?_ Latias wanted to know.

_"The spiritual merge is when the Dragon Master connects his mind to that of a Dragon-type Pokémon's,"_ explained Lance. _"Using it, I am able to mentally speak to that Pokémon, although it works a little better with a Pokémon that belongs to me and who I have bonded with. Since we've only just met, I have to speak in Draic to you. If you were my Pokémon… like my Dragonite, for example, we could just speak in mental thoughts to each other."_

_Oh, I see. So you are the Dragon Master I have been searching for. I'm glad I found you._

Lance lifted his eyes up to Latias, and smiled at her. However, although the smile was meant kindly, it looked a bit sinister when juxtaposed with his eerie, amber eyes. _"Yes. I am Lance Scott, the Dragon Master. And… you have been searching for me? How did you know to look for me here?"_

_Rayquaza spoke to me in my dreams last night, telling me to come here,_ replied Latias. _He told me about my destiny to find the Chosen One of the humans… and said you could help me._

_"Rayquaza spoke to you? Well, that is good. He has told me of your destiny also."_

_Rayquaza speaks to you?_

_"I am his chosen Dragon Master…" _Lance said, shrugging. _"So… I am to help you find the Chosen One of humans, and once you come together… Something's supposed to happen, I guess…?"_

_I guess… I don't know what, though. _

_"Me neither. I guess we'll both be surprised." _Lance laughed a little, which sounded positively demonic with the draconic echo to his voice. Even Will, who had known Lance since they were 14 and was used to his Draic by now, winced at the laugh. _"Well… I wish I could do more for you now, but it is nearing time for Open House… It is a big deal here at Pokémon League, and I, as the head of Pokémon League as well as the Dragon Master, have to oversee it. I hope that's ok."_

Latias nodded. She wasn't in that big of a hurry, and she was rather tired from her journey. _That's fine with me. I'm a bit tired anyway, and hungry too._

_"Hungry and tired? We can't have that, now can we? I shall see that that's taken care of. Now…"_ Latias suddenly saw Lance wince, almost as if in pain, and she floated to him worriedly.

_Are you ok?_ she questioned.

_"Yes… A spiritual merge takes a lot of energy… I think we'll have to continue this later…" _

/Lance, I don't think you should keep this up any longer,/ Will cut in privately, concern for his best friend filling his face. /You need energy for the Open House at least. You can talk to Latias later. Quit it, please…/

Lance nodded, and closed his eyes. The aura in the room disappeared, and Lance's shadow returned to normal. As soon as he opened his normally-colored brown eyes, he fell forward onto his hands, gasping in exhaustion. "Don't wanna try that again too soon," he joked painfully.

Latias was worried. She didn't want Lance to exert too much energy just for her. _You don't have to… I don't want you to hurt yourself or anything,_ she thought, although Lance couldn't hear her anymore. She nuzzled Lance's arm with concern, and he smiled back at her.

"I'm fine, Latias. Don't worry," he assured her, petting her head.

"Don't do that for so long again," Will chided fiercely. "You worry me sometimes."

/Me too,/ Nalia piped in.

Lance smiled in appreciation. He was touched that his friends worried that much about him, even Latias, whom he had just met. "Thanks guys…" he murmured, getting to his feet with a wince.

/It's no problem, Lance,/ Will replied psychically. /Promise me you won't do that again?/

_What if I don't have a choice?_ thought Lance, as he went to the mirror to straighten his hair out. He could feel Will's eyes burning into his back. _I just think you worry too much, Will._

/Shut up and promise./

_All right, I promise… Sheesh… _

/Good./ Will paused, and looked at his watch. /And promise one more thing./

_Now_ _what?_

/That you won't be late for the opening ceremony of Open House, because it's in twenty minutes./

That certainly got Lance to hurry big time.


	6. Chapter 6: Crossing Blades With The Past...

**Bound To The Dragon's Heart **

**Chapter 6: Crossing Blades With The Past and Future**

"Wow… This is way better than an Open House…" murmured Ash, gazing around the main hall of the Pokémon League Living and Training Quarters Building. Since Open House was only a matter of minutes away, there was no one around. They had all gone to the Indigo Plateau Headquarters.

Tracey sighed. "Sure… Whatever…" As much as Tracey was impressed by the fact that they were actually in Pokémon League, where the Masters lived and trained with their Pokémon, he was still on edge about being caught.

"You worry too much, Tracey. Relax. This is cool." Ash paused a moment to think. "Let's go upstairs now. There's nothing down here."

"But that's where the Masters live! We can't go up there!" Tracey pointed out. "That's like breaking into someone's house!"

"We're not going to break into their rooms and steal their stuff, we're just going to look," Ash replied, already headed for the staircase with Pikachu. "Sheesh, Tracey, I bet you were perfect when you were little. Never broke rules or anything."

Tracey glowered, and, to make himself feel better, took out his sketchbook to draw anything that caught his eye. "And I'm sure you got in trouble all the time when you were little…" he muttered under his breath. "This is definitely all your fault…"

* * *

At long last, the front doors of the Indigo Plateau Headquarters were opened to the public for Open House!

"All right! The doors are open!" exclaimed Brock, standing up on a bench to see over the crowd. "Let's go!"

"But what about Ash and Tracey?" asked Misty. "We have to wait for them, don't we?"

"Oh, yeah. But where are they? I don't see them." Brock looked around at the crowd of people around him, but failed to spot his friends.

Alexander rolled his eyes from where he was leaning against a tree. This was boring to him, and he really couldn't care less where Ash and Tracey were. As he tapped his foot impatiently, he felt a soft rub at his hand. He looked down, and smiled. "There you are, beautiful," he whispered, kneeling down to pet Persian's head and take the Dragon Coin case from her mouth. "Success?"

"Maarow…" replied Persian in acknowledgement, nuzzling Alexander's hand affectionately.

"Espi?" Espeon appeared from behind Persian as well.

Alexander grinned at both his faithful Pokémon, tucking the Dragon Coin case discreetly away. "Well, hello to you too, gorgeous," he said to Espeon, petting the Psychic-type as well. "Thank you so much, you two are my babies, you know that?"

"Merow!"

"Espiii!"

Alexander smiled. "All right, well, Open House is about to start, how about you take a little rest for now? Return." He recalled Persian and Espeon into their Pokéballs, and stood once more to see both Misty and Brock standing on the bench, vainly searching for Ash and Tracey. Much of the crowd was already inside by now. "I wonder what could be keeping your friends," he said to them, making them glance over at him.

"I don't know. I thought Ash would be one of the first people in, but I didn't see him," Misty said, sounding a little worried.

"Yeah. It's not like Ash to miss out on something like this," Brock added.

Alexander smiled reassuringly. "Well, looking around isn't going to make them appear any faster. Let's just go inside now so we can see the opening ceremony. Ash and Tracey can find us in there."

Misty smiled. "That's a good idea. He's right, Brock, let's just go."

"Ok…" With one last look around, Brock followed Misty towards the entrance of the Open House, with Alexander tailing behind them.

"Pssst! Hey, you!" Alexander froze at the sound of a girl's voice calling behind him. Was she talking to him? "You! Are you Alexander Tokaru?"

Quick as a flash, Alexander turned, and leaped right into the bush where the voice had come from, indiscriminately seizing the poor girl by the collar and making her yelp. He clapped his other hand over her mouth, glaring at her. "Never say my full name out loud for everyone to hear," he hissed dangerously.

The girl, not more than 16 or 17-years old, struggled furiously, her blonde curls bobbing as she tried to break out of Alexander's grip. She drew her foot back to kick him, but Alexander had been expecting that, and dropped her unceremoniously to the ground before she could. "You jerk!" she said angrily.

"Darling, let me tell you one thing about who I am," Alexander replied coldly, leaning against a nearby tree. "I'm a mercenary, and more than anything, I value my secrecy. I've had a nice career, and I won't let it get spoiled by a loose-lipped little girl such as yourself."

"Well, excuse me," she replied, getting to her feet. "I was sent by Giovanni to check on your progress."

Alexander looked her up and down, for the first time realizing she was wearing a black and white Team Rocket uniform. In her right hand she clutched a long-stemmed black rose. "I see," he said. "Who might you be?"

"Agent 009 of Team Rocket, one of Giovanni's most elite subordinates," the girl replied promptly. "But you may call me Domino if you like."

"Domino, eh?" Alexander shrugged at her carelessly. "So you'd like to know what I've been up to?"

"Giovanni doesn't want you wasting time. He wants to know where to find Latias and Latios as soon as possible," Domino stated. "What are you doing with those two kids?"

Alexander smiled, touching a finger to his lips. "Shh, quiet down. Well, if you must know, those two kids were involved in the little episode on Altomare Island with Latios and Latias. I'm gaining their trust."

"And then what are you going to do?" she replied.

"Patience, my dear. Good things come to those who wait, am I right?" The young mercenary's eyes glittered tauntingly at Domino. "Tell Giovanni I'll have the keys to claiming the Eon Dragon Twins, Latios and Latias, in only the course of a few days."

"Very well. That's all I wanted." Domino slowly turned to leave, casting Alexander several expectant glances as she did so.

Alexander raised an eyebrow at her. "What is it?"

"What is what?"

"You're looking at me like I'm supposed to be giving you something. What is it?"

"Well…" Domino blushed a little. "I heard you always… Well, I mean, you… with girls…"

"Oh." Alexander eyed her with a great deal of amusement. "You were expecting me to flirt with you? I see… Well, I have no idea how long you've been in the criminal business, Miss Domino…"

"Since I was 12, which means… four years," Domino interjected.

"Four years. All right. Well, I've been perfecting my skills since I was 10, believe it or not, which gives me eight years of experience. And with those years of experience, there is something you come to find as true."

"What's that?" questioned Domino curiously.

Alexander leaned over to her, teasingly twisting a strand of her hair around his finger. "Never expect commitment from a mercenary. They always find a way to surprise you." And with that, he turned, stepping out into the open again.

Domino glared at his retreating back. "We'll meet again," she warned him, trying to hide her disappointment. "And both Giovanni and I will be expecting progress."

"Progress in what?" he asked softly, giving her a last glance. "The job, or me?" Alexander paused to blow her a kiss, before turning and leaving to catch up with Misty and Brock.

For several moments, all Domino could do was stand there in shock, watching the handsome young mercenary run to catch up with the two kids and enter Pokémon League. "Is he just teasing me, or does he really like me?" she asked herself. She certainly hoped it was the latter. She had never seen such a handsome guy in her entire life. "I like his style… I could grow to be attached to him…" Domino smiled at the thought, hopelessly fallen for Alexander.

In the meantime, Alexander was smirking to himself at how naïve Domino was. "She's a cute girl, but as 'elite' a Team Rocket agent she may be, she has much to learn about the game of love," he murmured, casting a kind smile at Misty as she glanced at him once. "But there's no one who plays that game better than I."

He continued to follow Misty and Brock inside the Open House, still thinking out loud to himself, having neither pity nor remorse for Domino, or Misty, or any other girl he had ever met.

"Domino's gonna have to learn the hard way… Just like so many before her… Alexander Tokaru will never give his heart to any girl."

* * *

"Welcome to Indigo Plateau's 27th annual Open House, everyone!" Lance announced proudly to the crowd gathered before him, standing upon a stage set up inside the main hall of Pokémon League Headquarters. "I'm Lance Scott, Champion of the Elite Four, and Leader of Pokémon League. I'm glad everyone could make it today."

Lance paused for a moment, smiling at the large, cheering crowd of people. He stepped back slightly, motioning to the four other people standing behind him. "First off, I'll introduce you to Indigo Plateau's current Elite Four members. Our first Elite Four member… Will McCaran, Master of Psychic Pokémon." Will stepped forward, smiling shyly and bowing his head slightly. Lance had to stifle a grin; he knew Will hated being put on the spot, and preferred not to be in the social limelight. Or anything else social, period.

"Next, our second member… Koga Tachibana, Master Ninja of Poison-types." Koga, the former Gym Leader of Fuchsia City, stepped forward also, nodding at the applause he received from the audience.

"Our third Elite Four member… Bruno Miatsa, Master of the Fighting-type." The muscle-bound trainer gave a wave to the crowd, amidst clapping and cheering.

"And last, but certainly not least, our fourth Elite Four member, Karen Moonlight, Mistress of Dark-type Pokémon." The stunningly beautiful Karen took her applause (and several whistles from a couple of guys in the crowd) with a pleased smile, and waved to everyone before stepping back again.

Lance waited for the cheering to die down, before speaking again. "We five are what every trainer hopes to ultimately face in their journey to become a Pokémon Master," he continued. "If you succeed in defeating the Elite Four, you will become a Pokémon Master… But, if you succeed in defeating the Elite Four and myself, you will gain the coveted title of Pokémon League Grand Master, something very few people and their Pokémon have been able to accomplish. Do you all think you have what it takes to get to that level?"

The crowd roared in unison. "YEAH!!!"

"That's great! I hope to see all of you on the arena floor someday," Lance told them, pleased to have such spirit in the crowd, but also feeling a bit false, since he knew from experience that few people managed to get past Will, much less the entire Elite Four to him. "For all of you trainers and trainer-hopefuls, we have many stadium arenas up in the Pokémon Stadium area open just for you. You can battle each other, and practice your skills. There are also several areas here and in the Stadium area where you can increase your Pokémon knowledge, so you'll be ready for any challenges in your way during your journey.

"And for everyone else not planning on becoming trainers—maybe breeders or researchers instead?—we have lots of fun things for you as well. There are some petting areas, so you can see some Pokémon up close and personal, and actual researchers and breeders you can talk to. Of course, I could go on and on about everything that's in the Open House, as it covers all our Pokémon Stadium area north of here and the Indigo Plateau area here, but where would the fun be in that? Go and check it out yourselves."

More cheering. Lance waited until it was over, and then, on a thought, added, "And while you're up in the Pokémon Stadium area, go and take a peek at the new Pokémon Colosseum arenas being built. As many of you may have heard, we're opening up a brand-new stadium tournament facility, with new rules and new Pokémon. Most of the main buildings and tournaments will be centered in Evergrande City, in the Hoenn region, since it is primarily a Hoenn League tournament, but we'll be opening a few joint arenas here in Kanto. It'll be open in a few months, so I hope many of you Stadium frequents will check it out!

"Well, I'm sure everyone wants to go and have fun now, so I'll let you go. Have a wonderful day here at Indigo Plateau's Open House, all right?"

"Yeah!!!" the crowd yelled in response.

Lance nodded, and stepped back. "Great, you're all free to go."

Like a tidal surge, people began to flood out of the main hall and search for stands and areas where they could see Pokémon, play games, get food, and generally just have a good time. Many of the hardcore trainers were headed for the buses that would take them about five miles north of Indigo Plateau, where both Pokémon Stadiums 1 and 2 were located. [In case you haven't figured it out yet, Pokémon League is a HUGE place.] Soon, there were only a couple groups of people left in the main hall.

"Whew… Glad that's over. I hate talking in front of people," remarked Lance, as he and the Elite Four stepped off the stage.

Karen laughed. "For someone who hates talking in front of people, you do it quite well, I think," she teased.

"Hey! Lance!" cut in two familiar voices. Lance turned around, and was surprised to see Misty and Brock standing there, along with an older newcomer.

"Well, if it isn't Misty and Brock. Long time no see," he greeted. "Who's your friend?"

The young man, probably only about two or three years younger than Lance, nodded politely, his spiky aqua-green hair framing his face. "My name's Alexander," he said. "It's a true honor to be meeting the Dragon Master in person."

Lance smiled, although something inside him had just clicked to "something isn't right." Why, he didn't know, however. Alexander seemed nice enough. "Thank you. Hope you have a nice time here at Open House."

"I shall indeed." Alexander brushed at a loose strand of hair, revealing a long, very noticeable scar underneath his left eye. Lance tried not to react, however. He thought that might be rude.

Although… a scar like that wasn't the most unsuspicious thing in the world.

_Don't be silly,_ Lance scolded himself. _There's probably a very good reason for it._ "So, Misty, Brock," he said, shifting his attention to the two former Gym Leaders. "How have you been?"

"Great," replied Brock. "How's that red Gyarados you captured at the Lake of Rage?"

"It's doing quite well," Lance replied. "We're still treating it for its anger trouble, but other than that, it's A-ok."

"That's great," said Misty.

"By the way, where's Ash? I thought he might be with you."

Misty shrugged. "He was, but… we haven't seen him for a while. We thought he'd be in here for the opening ceremony…"

/Lance. I don't mean to be rude, but don't forget about Latias. We still need to take care of her,/ interrupted Will, startling Lance. Lance looked over at Will, who was hovering near a side door. The rest of the Elite Four were engaged in conversation with trainers elsewhere.

"Well, I hope he turns up soon, it'd be nice to talk to him again," Lance continued. "Err… I don't want to sound abrupt, but I really do have to go now, there's important business I need to attend to. I'll see you later, I guess."

"Ok," replied Misty readily. "We don't want to keep you. Bye, Lance."

"Bye," Lance responded, as he hastily left with Will out the side door.

As soon as he was gone, Brock turned to Alexander, trying not to sound accusing. "No offence or anything, but Lance looked a little surprised when he saw that scar on your face. I was wondering where you got it?" he asked, trying—and failing miserably—to be tactful.

Alexander's expression wavered for a moment. "You mean… this here?" he asked, running his finger along it.

Misty elbowed Brock viciously. "That wasn't very nice," she snapped.

"Oh, it's all right, Misty, I'm not offended. I'm actually surprised you didn't ask about it sooner," Alexander said.

She softened at his words. "So where did you get it? It looks like however you got it was pretty painful."

"It was." Alexander took a seat on a nearby bench in the center of the hall, and Misty and Brock sat next to him. "Well… I must tell you, I have a… er… hobby in swordfighting. I've been practicing since I was about 10-years old. When I was about… 16, which was two years ago, a… friend and I were sparring with each other, and I guess I wasn't paying attention, because he gave me a terrible cut right there." He touched the scar to emphasize.

"Ow… You're lucky he didn't blind you!" Misty gasped.

"Yes, you're right."

Brock frowned. This story just didn't seem quite plausible to him. "Are you saying you and your friend were sparring for fun… with edged swords?" he asked.

Alexander nodded, a bit too slowly for Brock's taste. "Yes… Young and stupid kids, we were. But it's all right. Besides, it's been my experience that girls seem to like the scar."

Misty blushed. "I suppose… it makes you look rugged," she suggested.

He winked at her. "I'm sure you're right, Misty," he told her, making Brock roll his eyes.

Inside his mind, Alexander was cursing Brock for even mentioning the scar. _Of all things, that!_ he thought vengefully. _Where's your sense of manners? How dare you ask me to bring to mind how I got it…_

In fact, the whole story that he had fed Brock and Misty was a lie. Swordfighting wasn't a hobby to him, it was a skill, developed ever since he had become a mercenary. Traditional mercenaries—like him—preferred using blades to weapons like guns because few people expected it; and with enough skill and the right kind of sword, even guns because useless. And he hadn't been sparring a friend, he had been dueling a mortal enemy, in a savage fight to the death. Which was why Alexander hated anyone mentioning the scar. It reminded him of the enemy he had sworn to take down.

Ironically enough, his enemy had been the first and only girl he had ever truly fallen in love with. Koyasha Shinigaru was a traditional mercenary, just like him, and every bit as beautiful as one could be. From the day the two had chanced to meet, Alexander had been in love. He was willing to help her out in any job she received, for no reward at all, and gave up the numerous jobs offered to him that required killing her. Blind, unconditional love… it nearly cost him his life.

One day, Koyasha turned on him. While out on a date, she drew her sword against him, saying now was the opportune time to collect the bounty on his head. Alexander was forced to fight her for his life. But, as every bit as good a swordfighter as Alexander was, he wasn't as skilled as Koyasha was. Not only did she give him the scar on his face, but several scars across his chest and legs as well. Fortunately, Alexander had the better sword, and by sheer luck, he had managed to break her blade in two with his own. In frustration, she made her escape, swearing to him that she would win his bounty no matter what. Alexander made the same promise to her.

_It's because of her that I will not trust to love, ever again,_ he thought hatefully. _At least not until I pay her back for breaking my heart, and being the only person to ever best me in battle. But I've improved, Koyasha. Wherever you are, I'm ready to take you on and defeat you once and for all._

"Alexander? Hello? Come on, let's go and see the Pokémon in the petting area," Misty repeated, breaking into his thoughts.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry. Of course, let's." Alexander stood, following both Misty and Brock outside to where a petting area had been set up.

Hateful thoughts of the girl he had once loved ever near.

* * *

Never ask a Pokémon to wait in a closed room until you get back.

It just never works.

Take Latias, for example. Not fifteen minutes after Lance had left for the opening ceremony of Open House, she was already out of the room and nosing around Pokémon League.

/Latias, this isn't a good idea. We can't let people see you!/ Nalia insisted from where she perched on Latias' back. /Lance will be worried if he gets back and you're not there./

_I know, but I just want to look around,_ Latias thought back at her newfound friend, floating up and down hallways, sniffing around curiously. _This is a really big place… It's even bigger than the buildings back on Altomare Island._

/Latias…/ Defeated, Nalia puffed out her feathers and tried to look as pitiful as possible, hoping that Latias would go back to Lance's room soon. But no, Latias continued looking around at everything, poking her head into every open room, sniffing everything. As time went on, Nalia slowly began to forget about what Lance and Will might think, and began to enjoy exploring Pokémon League. She had never seen much apart from Lance and Will's rooms, really. Although, she did think it could do with some more light. All the lights were turned off, since almost everyone was at the Open House, making the whole place very dark—and very creepy, at least to Nalia.

About twenty minutes later, Latias cocked her head suddenly at the scent of someone not too far away. And she thought it smelled very familiar, too. _Nalia, do you smell that?_ she asked urgently.

Nalia sniffed the air hesitantly. Although birds aren't known for their keen sense of smell, she could still detect someone—no, two someones approaching them. /Those don't smell like Lance or Will… or anyone from the Elite Four,/ Nalia warned. /Let's get out of here, Latias./

_No! It can't be… It's him!_ gasped Latias, stopping right in her tracks.

/Him who?/

_It's Ash! I can't believe it!_ Latias continued, not hearing Nalia's question. And instead of moving away from the people, Latias began to move towards them, getting closer and closer to the two strangers coming their way.

/Latias! No! We can't let anyone see you!/ Nalia exclaimed. /You're a Legendary Pokémon! Whoever they are, they might want to catch you!/

Latias shook her head. _No, Ash wouldn't catch me, he's my friend, _she insisted.

/But—/

Disregarding all the caution she had once displayed, Latias zoomed down the hallway, Nalia clinging on for dear life, to find the friend she had been seeking for so long. No matter what the consequences, she had to find Ash Ketchum.

* * *

"There's no one around," Ash finally said, breaking the long silence between him and Tracey.

Tracey squinted at his watch to try and read the time, but it was too dim. "The Open House may have already started," he replied. "Aww… That means we probably missed the opening ceremony!"

"It's ok," Ash reassured his friend. "What's the opening ceremony about anyway?"

"Lance Scott, the Champion of the Elite Four, makes this speech about what's going to be in the Open House. Nothing astounding, but it's always great to hear Lance speak in person."

Ash stopped abruptly, causing Tracey to almost bump into him. "Wait… Lance? Does this Lance train a Dragonite?"

Tracey nodded. "Of course! Don't tell me you don't know who Lance Scott is."

"I do know him. I met him in Johto."

"What?!" Tracey couldn't believe his ears. "You met Lance? Lucky!"

"I didn't know he was so popular, though. Champion of the Elite Four… What does that mean?" asked Ash.

"Do you mean to tell me," said Tracey in disbelief, "that you don't know that Lance is the Champion of the Elite Four, the Dragon Master, and Leader of Pokémon League?"

"… Um…"

Tracey sighed. "Sheesh, Ash, you're more clueless than I thought."

"Hey! I am not clue—" Ash suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

"Ash?"

"It's her… It's Latias! She's close by! I can feel it!"

"Pika! Pikachu!" agreed Pikachu.

"Seriously?" Tracey quickly pulled out his sketchbook and pencil, opening it to a clean page. "A Latias… Wow…"

"Come on, this way," said Ash, leading the way down another dim hallway so fast, Pikachu and Tracey had to jog to catch up.

"Wait! Ash, slow down!"

"Pika-pi!"

Ash was following pure gut instinct now. Left down one hall, right down another, continuing straight… And as he rounded another corner, he practically ran smack into Latias and Nalia floating towards him.

At first, the two were shocked. They stared and stared at each other, even when Pikachu and Tracey caught up. "Ash, wait—whoa! Latias!" Tracey stopped short behind Ash, at the sight of the red-and-white Legendary Pokémon. Latias squeaked in fright at the sight of a stranger, and began to flee.

"Latias! Stop! Don't be scared!" pleaded Ash. "This is my friend, Tracey. He won't hurt you, I promise."

Latias stopped, and slowly approached Ash again, purring nervously. Ash kneeled down, and held his hand out to her. "It's ok… Remember me?" Ash asked. "I'm Ash."

Nalia fluttered away, as Latias slowly landed on the floor in front of Ash. Her beautiful gold eyes blinked at him as she nuzzled his hand gently. Ash smiled, ignoring the frantic scratching of Tracey's pencil across his paper. "It's great to finally see you again…" he told her, moving his hand to pet the top of Latias' head.

And froze, as it was struck with something hard and metallic.

Everyone instantly looked up, and paled at the sight of Lance standing next to Latias defensively. Behind him stood Will, with Nalia on his shoulder. "Don't make another move," Lance threatened, his normally brown eyes tinged with something of a furious gold. His hand tightened around a longsword, the flat of its blade pushing against Ash's outstretched hand in a warning.

Ash was stunned beyond words. "Uh… Lance?" he gulped, almost worried that Lance would chop his hand off if he moved it. As far as he could tell, the longsword, decorated with mysterious designs and draconic symbols, had a definite sharp edge to it.

Lance narrowed his eyes. "Ash," he stated flatly, indicating he had recognized Ash. "Explain yourself."

"Explain… Oh… Well, I guess I'm in trouble for being in here without permission… I'm really sorry…" Ash tried to explain. "I just dragged Tracey in here, it's not his fault…"

Tracey was surprised at that. "Ash?"

"Not that," Lance snapped. He jerked his head in Latias' direction. "Her. By my obligation and title as a Dragon Master, you will not touch her."

"But…" Ash stammered.

"You have no idea how important she is to the balance of nature, Ash." The tip of the sword now pointed to Ash's throat. "Friend or not, I won't let you get her without a fight."

* * *

Now we're getting to the parts where you can see where this fic ties into Pokémon Colosseum (my fic, not the game)… I loves Alexander much… He's one of my favorite original characters… and to be blatantly honest, he's based off of Alex in Golden Sun in many different ways… (if it weren't quite obvious enough…)


	7. Chapter 7: Revelations

**Bound To The Dragon's Heart **

**Chapter 7: Revelations **

Frozen with absolute shock and bewilderment, Ash could only stare at Lance like a Stantler caught in headlights, praying to anyone who would listen to not let the Dragon Master impale him on the end of a sword.

"Lance…" Will suddenly stepped forward, and laid his hand gently on Lance's arm. "Calm down… There's no need to threaten…"

Latias gave an alarmed purr, and tried to nudge Lance away from Ash. _Please… Don't hurt him…_ she begged him.

Lance's gold eyes flickered with something akin to confusion and anger all together, and his voice, much to Ash, Tracey, and Pikachu's surprise, took the undertone of a snarl as he spoke. "I will not let him take you."

"Um… Lance, I wasn't gonna take her anywhere…" Ash put in. "Honest. It's just… I've met Latias before. On Altomare Island. We're friends."

_He speaks the truth, _Latias agreed. _Let him be._

Lance closed his eyes slowly, and the sword in his hands lowered for an instant. Ash, feeling a little safer, took a step backwards towards Tracey, breathing a sigh of relief.

And with that simple movement, Lance pounced.

Pounced had to have been the word. The sword fell to the floor, and Lance leaped at Ash with the seeming-intent to tear out Ash's throat with his teeth. Everyone gasped, and Ash instinctively closed his eyes, expecting a whole lot of pain, and wondering of why Lance had suddenly gone psycho.

Yet… There was no pain. Instead, just a gasp of pain, and a thump. Like someone falling to their knees.

Curiously, Ash opened his eyes once more. Lance was on his hands and knees before him, breathing heavily and—so it seemed to Ash—trying to hold back something of a sob. Latias was nuzzling his shoulder, trying to comfort him, and all around the Dragon Master, a faint, purple glow was evident. Ash looked up at Will, and was startled to see his eyes glowing an eerie purple as well.

"Have you regained control, Lance?" Will asked sternly, allowing the purple glow to disappear. His eyes stopped glowing also, but, as Ash noticed, his eye color was purple anyway.

Ash could see Lance struggling for composure. "Y-yes… I'm all right now…" he whispered, slowly getting to his feet.

Ash and Tracey both gave each confused looks. "Uh… what just happened?" Tracey asked hesitantly, almost afraid Lance would suddenly attack him too.

Lance exchanged looks with Will, who spoke for the both of them. "It's a little complicated… Why don't you come with us? We'll explain it all in Lance's room."

That idea didn't seem like a very good one to Ash, Tracey, or Pikachu, considering all that had just happened, but they knew there was no other choice. "Ok," Ash said, trying to sound confident, as he began to follow Lance, Will, Nalia, and Latias down the dark hall again.

Wondering just what in the world he had gotten himself into again…

* * *

Alexander sighed, looking up into the blue skies of Kanto with boredom. Only one hour into the Open House, and already he was becoming impatient. _I really ought to learn to practice what I preach…_ he thought wryly, thinking of what he had told Domino about "patience." _Ah well. Now's the time to get started..._

"Hey, Alexander!" called Misty, running towards him from a food stand nearby. "Don't you want anything to eat?"

Alexander smiled. "Well, sure I do," he said. "But I can't let the lady buy for me. It would be discourteous."

"Oh… um… I don't mind…" Misty stammered. She turned to look for Brock, just so Alexander couldn't see her red cheeks, and frowned when she saw him eating at a different table. "Hey! Doesn't Brock want to sit with us?"

"I suspect he doesn't like me very much…" Alexander guessed, twisting a loose strand of hair around his finger absently. "But that could just be me."

Misty sighed. "I think you're right. It's weird, though. Brock is usually very nice to people. I don't see anything wrong with you."

"I don't necessarily think it's something wrong with me, Misty," he replied, a strange thought suddenly forming itself in his mind. Should he tell her…? Normally, he couldn't care less about the personal lives of those he sought to use in his plans, but for some odd reason, Misty and Brock's friendship amused him in some odd way… "I do believe… he likes you."

At that, Misty nearly choked on the sandwich she was biting into. "W-what? Brock like me? No way!"

"He seems to disapprove greatly of my… err… carrying on with you, if I may put it that way."

"That's silly, though…" murmured Misty, looking down at Togepi. "He likes older, prettier girls. We're just friends…"

"As you say, Misty," Alexander smiled, deciding not to press too much further. _Why am I even bothering? Maybe it's because… because it reminds me of me and… Koyasha… in happier times…_ Thinking of her crinkled his brow with a mixed expression for a few moments. "So… how are you enjoying the Open House?"

"It's great!" Misty exclaimed, glad to move on to a different subject. "What do you think of it?"

It was just the opening Alexander had been looking for. "Oh, it's quite enjoyable. But… I only wish I could see more Pokémon that I haven't seen before," he said wistfully. "Perhaps, like Legendary Pokémon…"

"Legendary Pokémon? Don't be silly. Why would you see one of them here?" asked Misty.

"There are some Pokémon Masters who own some of the Legendaries," Alexander explained. "I've been dreaming of seeing a Legendary since I was little… Legendaries like Articuno… Suicune… Lugia… Celebi…" He paused, eying Misty carefully as he spoke his next word.

"…Latias…"

* * *

"…That's how Latias and I know each other," concluded Ash, as he finished telling Lance, Will, and Nalia about his adventure on Altomare Island. "I'm sorry if I worried you, Lance. I understand if you were afraid I would capture her or something."

Lance, who was now seated in a chair in his room, shook his head sadly, sounding ashamed. "It is I who should be sorry, Ash," he said. "I got carried away, and for that, you came close to losing your life."

Tracey was surprised at Lance's words. "Lance, surely you weren't seriously thinking of killing Ash?"

"I'm afraid that was a possibility…" the Dragon Master murmured, biting his lip in frustration at himself.

"It is really no fault of Lance's," interjected Will. "You see, as Dragon Master, there are certain powers and responsibilities granted to him. Lance possesses what we call the Affinity of Dragon. Within him burns the very essence of a dragon itself. All the qualities of a dragon—such as courage, pride, and wisdom—are made Lance's qualities as well."

/But Lance doesn't really have ALL the qualities of a dragon naturally,/ Nalia piped up.

Ash jumped in surprise. "That Natu can talk?" he gasped.

"Nalia is a special Natu, as you can see by her coloration," explained Will. "She has more enhanced psychic abilities than usual." By the sound of Tracey's scratching pencil, it was safe to assume that he, too had noticed Nalia's special coloring.

/Lance's natural qualities are that he is compassionate, forgiving, and generous,/ continued Nalia. /But these come into direct conflict with the qualities of the dragon./

"In other words, while Lance does share some of the same personality quirks that the Affinity of Dragon has, there are still highly noticeable opposites in each," Will said. "This is the problem that has plagued Lance since he was made Dragon Master at the age of 13."

"So… it's like Lance has two personalities?" asked Ash, petting Latias where she was sitting next to him.

Lance smiled sadly. "That's exactly what it's like. When the Affinity of Dragon within me feels something very strongly about whatever is happening to me, it can rise up and cause me to take actions I wouldn't normally take. The Affinity of Dragon grew alarmed when it saw Latias with a stranger, and the fierce instincts of a dragon caused me to attack you. I tried holding it back… but… well, you see what happened…"

Ash gulped. "No harm done… It's a good thing you stopped in time, right?"

"Actually, I didn't," sighed Lance. "Will had to hit me with some of his psychic power to stop me."

"You're a psychic, Will?" asked Tracey, looking up from his sketch for a moment.

Will smiled. "Who better to be Master of Psychic-types?"

"Don't start bragging… You never were any good at it," teased Lance, trying to lighten the mood.

"Well, don't start feeling sorry for yourself… Ash is all right, and we have more important things to worry about."

Tracey spoke up again. "So… This Affinity of Dragon doesn't dictate your actions for you too often, does it?"

Will shook his head. "Lance is usually good about keeping such impulses in check, but ever since Rayquaza has begun contacting him more frequently… about protecting the Child of Legendaries… His energy has been lessened, and it's harder to control the Affinity of Dragon." Latias purred sadly at Will's words, sad that Lance was having problems with his Dragon Master powers over her.

"Whoa, back up," Ash said. "The Child of Legendaries? And what's Rayquaza?"

Will sighed. "Well… Rayquaza is the Legendary Dragon Pokémon, with whom Lance was given the ability to speak to when he became Dragon Master. And the Child of the Legendaries… would be Latias, right there."

Ash stared at Latias in surprise. "Latias? Wait… Child of the Legendaries… Tracey, didn't you tell me about that?"

"You mean you know about this legend, Ash?" asked Lance.

"Tracey got some research from Professor Oak about it…"

Tracey stopped sketching and dug around in his backpack, pulling out the notes and the picture he had shown Ash, Misty, and Brock earlier in the day. He passed it to Lance, who eyed both papers and nodded. "That's all we know," he explained. "So… Latias is the Pokémon who can help restore balance to the world?"

/That's right!/ Nalia exclaimed. /All that we need now is the Chosen One of the humans, and it'll work!/

Ash had been looking at the picture again as Nalia was speaking. "Wait… Lance, is this Rayquaza?" he asked, pointing to the dragon in the carving that had had him stumped.

Lance's eyes gleamed slightly gold for one instant. "That's right, Ash. Although it might not seem like so, all Legendary Pokémon, whether they be from Kanto, Johto, or Hoenn, all interact and speak with one another. They oversee all the world together, and if one falls, all may fall with it."

"The Legendary Pokémon have so much an effect on the world…" murmured Ash softly, looking at Latias. "Latias and Latios were the protectors of Altomare… And when that collector tried to capture Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Lugia, the whole world and its oceans were threatened…"

"You know about that, Ash?" asked Lance.

"Yeah… Um… I helped Lugia to stop the Legendary Birds' fighting…"

Will and Lance both gaped at him. "You… you're Lugia's Chosen One? And you've met the Legendary Bird trio and Latias and Latios?" questioned Will.

Ash shrugged, a little embarrassed. "Mm-hm. I also… um… saw an Entei once, and a Celebi… and a Suicune… and a Ho-Oh…"

Now, even Tracey, Nalia, and Latias looked stunned. Lance and Will looked at one another again, and then back to Ash. "Are you serious?" Lance asked.

"Of course. Pikachu saw them too."

"Pika-pika!" affirmed Pikachu.

Lance was at a loss for words. There wasn't another person he knew who had seen so many Legendary Pokémon in their lives… and it had only been about four years since Ash had started his Pokémon journey! "This… this changes everything…" he whispered, a new thought coming to him.

"Why? What does it change?" Ash questioned.

"Latias…" said Lance, turning to the Dragon/Psychic-type. "Did Rayquaza tell you anything about how to find the Chosen One of humans?"

_Well… um…_ Latias was a little hesitant. _I told him, deep down in my heart, that I felt Ash was the one I was destined to be bound to, as some Legendaries are. And he told me that if I felt that way, perhaps… Ash was the Chosen One._

/Latias said that she feels bound to Ash by destiny… And Rayquaza told her that if she feels that way, perhaps he is the Chosen One,/ Nalia said, relaying Latias' thoughts for Lance, Ash, Tracey, and Pikachu.

"What? Me, the Chosen One?" Ash gasped. "I don't think so… I think you're making a mistake."

"That's what you said about that incident near Shimute Island…" reminded Tracey. "It could be true…"

Lance nodded. "All the evidence seems to be pointing to you, Ash. Latias feels bound to you, and the impulses of Legendaries are not to be taken lightly. And, as it says in the legend, the Chosen One will have already set down bonds with the Legendaries of Kanto and Johto."

"But… but I can't be Chosen One," stammered Ash, looking around as if for a way out. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

_I don't know, either, _Latias thought, nuzzling Ash kindly. _But I'm sure we can figure it out together._

After a quick relay of Latias' thoughts by Nalia, Ash was only slightly reassured. Being the Chosen One sounded forbidding; even more forbidding than it had when he had had to help Lugia. But while he hadn't really had time then to think about what being the Chosen One might have meant, now he had lots of time to think about it. And the more he thought about it, the more nervous he became. What was he supposed to do as the Chosen One?

"Look, Ash," Lance interrupted, understanding how overwhelmed Ash was feeling. "I know how difficult it sounds. I felt the exact same way at your age, when I was called upon to become Dragon Master. But I soon realized I didn't have to face my destiny alone. I had friends to support me, like Will. You, too, have many friends to help you if things get rough."

Tracey nodded. "That's right, Ash. You have our help, too," he said.

"Thanks, guys. I suppose it's not as bad as I think…" Ash replied, feeling a bit more cheered. "Maybe it's not so bad after all. I guess I could be the Chosen One."

Little did Ash know, however, that accepting his role as the Chosen One would prove to be the most life-changing decision he had ever made…

* * *

As soon as Misty heard the word "Latias," she gave a start.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Misty?" Alexander asked innocently, hiding the satisfied smirk that threatened to appear on his face.

"Oh. Nothing…"

"Are you sure? Ok." Alexander began to twist a lock of his aqua-green bangs around his finger nonchalantly. "Surely you've heard of Latias, though? I've talked to a few people who'd never even heard of it."

"Oh… I do," Misty answered, allowing Togepi a bite of her sandwich. "How did you hear of it?"

Alexander shrugged. "I told you, I'm quite interested in the legends of Pokémon. I've read about Altomare Island a bit, and about Latias and Latios. It just came to mind, that's all."

"Oh."

"Pretty Pokémon, I'm sure. Latios is… blue and white, isn't it? And Latias, I think, is pink and white."

"It's actually more red and white," Misty corrected, without thinking.

The young mercenary smiled, knowing he had her. He paused for a moment, then slowly turned to Misty with a sincerely puzzled look on his handsome face. "Red and white? Are you sure?"

"Yes…"

"I've never heard that before…" he mused. Then, with a winning smile he knew made every girl he'd ever encountered practically wilt, added, "How do you know that Latias is red and white, Misty?"

* * *

(sighs) Yes, I know Alexander is over-acting… You'd think Misty would see through him, but… he has such hypnotic bishonen powers… Heh… Well, it's what happens a lot in anime, right?


	8. Chapter 8: Watching and Waiting For Eter...

**Bound To The Dragon's Heart **

**Chapter 8: Watching and Waiting For Eternity**

Misty paused, completely unsure of how to answer. "Well… I've been to Altomare…" she began.

Alexander gave her an impressed smile. "Really? I heard it's gorgeous there."

"Yes, it is."

"How lucky… I would love to go there for a week or so… So I guess you heard from the locals about Latios and Latias, then."

"Yes." Misty was quiet for a moment, and then added, "I competed in the annual Water Pokémon Races there and won first place."

"Is that so? Congratulations!" Alexander said. "You must have been all over the place, Misty. I wish I'd have traveled as far and as much as you… and accomplished as much as you…" He paused, and decided to go with the pity route in his goal to make Misty spill the beans a little more about Latias. "Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of traveling the world, and one day seeing a Legendary Pokémon… Where I grew up… there wasn't much hope of doing such a thing…"

"Really? Where do you come from?"

Alexander shrugged. "Ah… you wouldn't have heard of it… A nowhere place, really. So I left my home to try and accomplish my dreams. However… the Legendary Pokémon still elude me… perhaps it wasn't meant to be…" He put on a pitiful expression at these words, one that both made you want to cry yourself and admire how handsome someone like him could get.

Misty fidgeted, Alexander's almost-hypnotic eyes and plaintive story getting to her, despite herself. She felt sorry for him; it seemed his life revolved around learning all about Pokémon legends and trying to experience one for himself. And although it really wasn't in her nature to get all soft for a guy, she decided to make an exception, just this once. (She wasn't alone in making such a decision; every girl Alexander dealt with eventually gave in to whatever he was trying to get from her.)

"Hey… You know what?"

Alexander looked up slowly. "What?"

"Don't tell anyone, but… I've seen a few Legendary Pokémon before…"

"You have?" Alexander said, his eyes widening in surprise. "You… you're kidding, right? You're just trying to cheer me up."

Misty giggled. "No, I'm serious. I've seen a bunch. Like… the Three Legendary Birds…"

"Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres?"

"Mm-hm. And… Lugia, and Entei… Celebi and Suicune… And, believe it or not… Latias and Latios."

Alexander's mouth fell open, and this time, he wasn't acting. _Holy Miltanks, she's seen that many Legendaries? I knew they'd seen some, but… this is crazy! Now I really am jealous of her!_ "…Wow… that's… that's amazing, Misty…" he managed to stammer. "I… how lucky…"

"Would you like me to tell you about them?" asked Misty, snuggling Togepi closer.

Alexander snapped out of his state of shock, and adopted a sincere smile. He leaned closer to her and rested his head on her shoulder. "I most certainly would, Misty," he breathed softly, sending a shiver down Misty's spine as his lips brushed her ear.

Of course, Misty couldn't say no to that.

* * *

In the meantime, Ash, Tracey, and now Latias (in the form of her human friend Bianca) and Nalia were taking a break from the whole "Chosen One" mess to enjoy the Open House. While Lance and Will went off elsewhere for "official business," Ash decided they ought to go and check out more of what Pokémon League had to offer.

"… And see that, Latias?" Ash was whispering to the girl clinging tightly to his arm in excitement. "That's what a Pokémon battle is like!" He was referring to a nearby arena with two trainers facing off with a Snorlax and Scyther as he said this. Latias, with light-brown hair in two pigtails and a green and white outfit, smiled happily in return. In human form, Latias could not speak (she was not accustomed to using human vocal cords, so she really couldn't make a sound if she tried), and her eyes remained the abnormal gold color she had as a Latias, but other than that, she looked every bit like a regular girl. Nalia was perched on her shoulder, ready to relay any thoughts that Latias wanted to say to her friends, and Tracey brought up the rear; lagging behind since he was taking time to draw every Pokémon in sight.

Ash grinned at his Pokémon-now-human friend, and looked around for something else to show her. An orange flash of hair over by the food tables caught his eye, and knew immediately it was Misty. Who else had hair like that? "Hey Tracey, I see Misty. Let's let her and Brock know we're here," he said over his shoulder. Tracey looked up, and nodded before going back to an intense sketch of a Mareep nearby.

"Hey, Misty!" Ash called, squeezing through the crowd, Latias clinging on to him for fear of getting lost.

Misty looked up from where she had been conversing with Alexander (about something really great, considering the smiles on their faces). "There you are, Ash!" she said, an annoyed look crossing her face. "Where were you two? You had me and Brock worried!"

"Sorry… By the way, where is Brock?"

"Right here," said Brock, suddenly appearing next to them. He immediately noticed Latias and gasped. "Um…"

Alexander smirked, noticing the girl clinging to Ash at the same time. _That hair, those eyes… Has to be Latias,_ he thought, recalling what Misty told him about Latias being able to take human form. _You just get better and better, Alexander…_ "Hello, Ash. Who's your new friend?"

Ash paused. He knew Misty and Brock were aware of Latias' true identity, but he wasn't too eager to tell Alexander as well. After all, they had just met the guy. But how would he introduce Latias? "Um… This is… er…" he stammered, searching for a name.

"Lani," suggested Tracey in a sharp whisper, saying the first female name that began with "L" that came to mind, which was the name of a girl he used to go to Pokémon Watcher School with.

"Yeah. This is Lani," affirmed Ash, silently thanking Tracey. Latias looked up at Ash, confused. He smiled and gave her hand a small squeeze to assure her it was ok, and to just play along with it. Both Misty and Brock also gave nods of agreement to the name.

"Lani? Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lani," Alexander said kindly, taking Latias' hand and giving it a kiss, just like with Misty. Latias smiled shyly, but didn't—couldn't—reply.

"Um, Lani is a little shy," explained Ash quickly. "She doesn't like to talk."

_Can't, you mean,_ thought Alexander wryly. _Sweet thing probably never learned to do so in human form._ "Oh, that's all right. Makes her all the more cuter, I think."

Brock thought about that. _Hmm… Does Alexander do that to every girl he meets?_ he wondered. _If so, maybe I'm just being unreasonable with him. Maybe he really isn't attracted to Misty. Maybe he's just enjoying himself. _

"Did you guys check out a lot of the Open House already?" asked Misty quickly, eager to change the subject. Obviously, Ash didn't want Alexander to know Latias' true identity. And after just telling Alexander that Latias was capable of taking human form (she hadn't gone into details or anything, but still…), she didn't want him to get ideas.

"A little," replied Ash.

Alexander hid a smirk; already forming plans in the meantime. _Now that I know exactly where Latias is, it'll be a snap catching her and delivering her to Giovanni. And where Latias goes, hopefully will lead to Latios as well. Either way, I win this one. Now to let Giovanni know…_

Ash's stomach presently grumbled loudly, garnering strange looks from all his friends. "Err… Hey, how about some food, guys? I'm starved!"

"You're always hungry," Brock remarked. "We just ate."

Alexander laughed softly. "It's quite fine. We have the whole day, after all. Excuse me while I go make a quick phone call, all right? I'll be back soon." With that, Alexander quickly disappeared into the crowd.

As soon as he was gone, Misty and Brock both faced Ash accusingly. "All right, what have you been up to?" demanded Misty.

"And how did you get… Latias?" asked Brock, in a quieter voice.

Ash and Tracey both sweatdropped. "Can't we eat first?" protested Ash.

"It's a long story!" Tracey agreed.

"Tell us now!" Misty and Brock ordered in unison.

What else could the unfortunate pair do, but tell them?

* * *

_Giovanni's secret base, Viridian City Gym: 20 minutes later _

"So… You've figured out where Latias is," Giovanni said, facing Alexander in his office once again. "You're efficient, I'll give you that. So… how will you deliver her to me?"

The young mercenary smiled, twisting his hair around his finger out of habit. "Give me… two days. In two days, I will require a number of your Team Rocket members to assist me in catching Latias and subduing her little friends. Is that acceptable?"

Giovanni nodded. "It is. Domino."

At her name, the young Team Rocket agent stepped forward from where she was standing at attention behind Giovanni. "Yes, sir?"

"You will be in charge of organizing this group that Alexander needs."

"Yes, sir. I will only choose the best of our underlings."

"Good." Giovanni turned back to Alexander. "May I ask you a question, young man?"

"Of course."

"Why do you require two days before snagging Latias?"

Alexander laughed at his question. "I had a feeling you'd ask," he said. "It's been in my experience, sir, that if you rush into a situation right away… something will turn up to blunder everything and make you lose out. I merely want to make sure that that something will not blunder everything. You see, there's a difference between seizing the moment, and rushing into things."

Domino raised her eyebrows, impressed at the mercenary's insight, while Giovanni gave a low chuckle. "I see… you really are as cunning and experienced as you've been reputed to be. Very well. Speak to Domino a bit to tell her what you require, then continue on with whatever you will. Dismissed."

Alexander and Domino both bowed respectfully, and then turned and exited out the door. Walking side by side down the long hallway of the base, Domino finally got the courage to speak up.

"Um… excuse me…"

"Yes?"

"I was… I was wondering…" Domino fidgeted a little. "…What made you become a mercenary, if I may ask?"

Alexander halted in his tracks. "I beg your pardon?"

"I… I'm curious, that's all. See… I joined Team Rocket because Giovanni picked me out of an orphanage… He saw the skills I possessed, and desired to have them on Team Rocket's side. You, however… I don't know. You don't seem like a criminal type, really. You seem more… cultured. Like you come from a good family."

There was silence for a long while. Alexander had his eyes closed, apparently thinking hard about Domino's questions. Finally, he opened his eyes again, and gazed down at Domino. "To be honest… I…" Alexander paused again. "Domino, dear, have you ever heard of the term _revenge_?"

"Of course I have."

"Then… that would be your answer, in a nutshell," Alexander replied. "Against who, I cannot say, just that they have hurt me dearly."

"Would it have anything to do with…?" Domino motioned to her face to indicate his scar.

Alexander sighed. "A little… Not quite the reason, but that's part of it. But, my dear, that's not important right now. I would imagine that like me, you desire to have your past forgotten, would you not?"

Domino nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry. I was just…"

"It's quite all right. Now…" Alexander's troubled expression quickly changed to a calm, happy one again. "About that team I'll need…"

* * *

"…You're kidding!" Misty promptly told Ash and Tracey, a split second after they finished their narration of what happened.

Ash shook his head. "I knew you'd say that," he said. "But it's true. Latias and I are apparently part of some legend, and need to see it through to the end."

"But if even Lance is uncertain about what needs to be done, how will you be able to fulfill it?" asked Brock.

"Be patient," came a soft voice from behind Ash, making him jump about six feet in the air in surprise. Everyone looked up to see Will, who gave them all a soft smile. "Ash, I know things are not very certain now, but all will eventually be revealed. This destiny is many hundreds of years in the making."

Brock nodded. "Rayquaza has been waiting at least that long itself, hasn't it?" he asked.

"Quite. By the way, I haven't introduced myself personally to you two, have I? My name is Will McCaran. You two are Gym Leaders of Kanto, aren't you?"

"We used to be… I'm Brock, from Pewter City."

"My name is Misty, from Cerulean City."

Will nodded at each of them. "You two must promise not to reveal Latias' identity, understood? If destiny is swayed now… the world could suffer."

"We understand," Brock said.

"That's good…"

"Sorry I took so long…" Alexander suddenly appeared back at the table, a pleasant expression on his face. "Wait… you're Will McCaran! From the Elite Four, right? I'm Alexander." The young mercenary held out his right hand to Will in greeting.

Will blinked at Alexander for a few moments, before politely shaking his hand. "Yes… good to meet you. Are you a friend of these young people as well?"

"Just met them today, but yes."

"That's good to hear," replied Will, before bowing slightly and backing away. "I'm afraid I must go now… Hopefully we can converse later?"

"You bet. Bye, Will," said Misty.

But before Will left, Ash suddenly heard his voice in his head one last time. It took a while before he remembered Will's psychic powers, and his ability to use telepathy. /Ash… I don't wish to alarm you… But Alexander fills me with a certain sense of foreboding./

_Foreboding? _Ash thought, biting his lip quickly to keep himself from saying it aloud. 

/I can't say for certain… His is not an evil heart, but he does have some suspicion buried in there… He's strong-willed as well, making it difficult to see. All I am saying is to be careful./ Taking a moment to pet Nalia's head affectionately, Will turned and left.

_Don't worry… I will, _Ash thought back in response, watching as the young psychic disappeared into the crowds. _What did he mean, I wonder? Maybe we can't trust Alexander. But he doesn't seem to be doing any harm… I'll watch out all the same, though._

"I think we should keep enjoying the rest of the Open House," Misty was saying, as Ash finally came back to reality. "There's a ton of stuff in the Stadium we haven't even seen yet."

"That's a good idea… Maybe we can all battle some trainers while we're there," Alexander remarked.

Tracey nodded. "If there are lots of Pokémon from all over the world there, I'm definitely in."

_What do you think, Latias? _Ash asked privately to Latias. _Do you want to see more?_

/I'd love to see more!/ Latias replied happily (by way of Nalia). /And can we have some of those yummy smelling things over there?/

_You mean, some food? _

/Yes. Is that what human food smells like?/

_Sure… haven't you seen human food before? _

/Nothing like this… This is so new!/ Latias smiled brightly and nuzzled Ash's arm, making him blush.

"Um… sure guys, let's go check out the Stadium area," Ash said out loud. "And maybe pick up some food on the way there…?"

"You're always thinking about food, Ash," grumbled Misty, as the group got up and began moving towards the general direction to where the buses were taking people up to the Pokémon Stadiums.

Alexander merely smiled and followed along behind, his eyes watching Latias, aka "Lani," hanging onto Ash's arm like glue. As he did, though, a sadness filled his eyes for a brief moment. _She's so cute and innocent, _he thought regrettably. _Almost reminds me of…_

He bit his lip. _No. I can't start feeling remorse now. I have to follow through with this. Everything I do is meant to make me stronger and better than I was seven years ago. And once I am stronger, I'll be able to go home and exact my revenge on those who even drove me to this in the first place…_

And remembering that, Alexander once again took a calm, indifferent expression. Latias was just another person, another girl, that had to fall in the name of strengthening his mind and spirit. He could not afford to be soft. He had made that mistake with Koyasha, and it had nearly cost him his life.

_But… if this truly is what I must do to gain revenge… am I really that different from those who hurt me in the first place?_

It was a question he had asked himself many times before.

And, once again, Alexander grimly answered himself in the same way.

_No, you're not. You're just like them. But there was no other choice…_

Knowing that, he never continued the argument any further…

* * *

In the skies high above Hoenn, far beyond the clouds so that no one could ever hope to see him… Rayquaza, eternal Lord of Dragons, flew.

His long, serpentine body, covered with shiny, light-green and yellow scales that gleamed against the sunlight, snaked and cut through the air effortlessly, like a Sharpedo homing through the water on the hunt. Yellow, unblinking eyes stared coldly before it, as he called upon his vast powers to speak with his counterpart among Legendary Pokémon…

Ho-Oh herself.

_"Ho-Oh… I have need of your wisdom and sight."_

Readily, the Rainbow Phoenix responded immediately to his call, her mental voice firm even though the distance between them spanned miles and miles. _"I hear your call, Rayquaza. How may I assist you?"_

_"The first part of the prophecy has come to pass… the Chosen One of humans, as chosen by Lugia known as Ash Ketchum, and the Child of Legendaries, Latias, have finally come together. Hopefully, for good. But… I fear there are a great deal many more obstacles for them to overcome. Is this true?"_

_"Indeed it is. The road to fulfilling an ancient prophecy is never an easy one."_

Rayquaza snarled in frustration. _"The thought that this could fail is unbearable. It is but one step towards the greater scheme of things… but if even one step shall fail, the entire tower crumbles."_

_"Don't speak to me of crumbling towers; I don't much appreciate it," _Ho-Oh told him, sounding almost irritated.

_"Forgive me,"_ apologized Rayquaza. _"It's just… I know there are good humans out there. Most humans out there are good at heart, and love Pokémon. But it is the dark-hearted humans who do wrong who ruin it for all of us."_

A hint of a smile from Ho-Oh was felt. _"That may be true, but do not forget the next prophecy to be fulfilled…"_

_" 'When the shadows engulf, one may come to tame their fearful hearts…'"_

_" '…and another to bring uncertainty to light…' That is the one."_

Rayquaza bared his fangs in a grin. _"You are so wise, Lady of Phoenixes… I had nearly forgotten."_

_"Well, pay it no mind, Rayquaza. Leave that to me, and continue your attentions on this one," _said Ho-Oh.

_"I shall. Take care, Ho-Oh…" _

_"As do you, Rayquaza…"_

The conversation was ended, but Rayquaza still felt worried. So much rested on each and every prophecy… If even one was not fulfilled enough, all could come to disaster.

But even if it did, Rayquaza would be ready to make up for it. All the Legendaries were. Even if it came to an all-out battle that engulfed the world, like the one fought centuries ago… He and the other Legendary Pokémon would fight bravely to protect their world. It was exactly what their jobs were.

Still… Rayquaza knew that the best thing would be to avoid such an event from occurring again. Which was why this prophecy had best be fulfilled. But all Rayquaza could do was wait, like he had been for centuries.

Wait and trust in the strength of his Dragon Master, Lance Scott… and the two chosen for this prophecy, Ash and Latias.

Everything depended on it.

* * *

End of Revision 1.0.

Well, hopefully those of you reading this still will continue to enjoy it. I know I'm still enjoying writing it. Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed and supported me, it really means a lot to me. Review the fic, and I'll see y'all later…


	9. Chapter 9: Lady of Phoenixes

**Bound To The Dragon's Heart**

Note: It seems the siteis deleting the symbols I once used to signify telepathy. So from now on, I'm using backslashes (/) to indicate when telepathy begins and ends. I really dislike it, but it works...

**Chapter 9: Lady of Phoenixes**

By the end of the day, Ash and his friends had gone through everything the Pokémon League Open House had to offer; from the Stadiums to the Pokémon Breeding Centers to all the food and game stands. They all had a good time, no doubt about that, but somehow... somehow, there was an uneasy feeling in the air. None of them would ever explain where the anxiety they all felt was coming from to one another, but it was there nonetheless.

Brock was, of course, watching Alexander like a hawk. Flat out, the Pokémon Breeder-hopeful did not trust the quiet teenager one bit. He didn't like how Alexander was getting on with Misty, and he was jealous that Alexander could charm girls with just a smile. Also, he seemed a little... too enthusiastic about what the others had to say. It was hard to explain, but Brock felt that Alexander was trying a little too hard to become a member of the group. He tried to come up with rational explanations for his suspicions (Alexander was just desperate for attention, or maybe he really did like Misty and was trying to impress her), but there was just something not quite right...

Misty was, of course, on Cloud 9 about now. Alexander was constantly purring in her ear, a flattering comment on the end of each sentence he spoke, which made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. _At last! A guy who appreciates my true beauty—both inner and outer! _she thought happily. Of course, maybe her affections for Alexander would be affected if she knew that he had been charming girls like her since the tender young age of 13, and knew exactly how to cater to each girl's inner wishes for the "perfect guy."

Just maybe.

Ash was totally oblivious to the soap opera playing out with his friends; he was just concerned with Latias fitting into the human world! It wasn't as difficult as he originally thought to get by with Latias unable to speak a word in human form, and the way she clung onto him eagerly, hooked on everything he had to say...

It was a strange feeling. One that Ash was unable to explain to himself.

_She's really cute,_ he thought, looking down at her once again. Latias' beaming, innocent face made him smile, and it made him all the more anxious to show her everything the human world had to offer. Latias had been in human form a few times on Altomare Island, but she still had a lot to learn. But she was learning fast, and hopefully Lance would approve of everything Ash had taught her so far!

Latias herself was feeling just as happy as Ash was. _I can't believe I found him so easily! Maybe it was destiny that brought us back together!_ she thought to herself. _And he's just as nice and caring as I remember him. I hope we can stay together... I want to stay and play with Ash all the time, and learn about the human world!_

And Tracey? He was in a whole other world, completely absorbed with drawing all the Pokémon in sight. If luck held out... perhaps he'd run out of pages in his drawing pad.

Outside of it all, Alexander patiently observed the five friends with mild interest, watching and waiting for the time to come when he could take Latias for Team Rocket. But... he had to admit, it would be a sad thing to capture the innocent little Legendary. She was so cute, so sweet. So trusting in others...

His mind wandered back to his past again, just for a moment. But it was enough to strike a pang in his heart once again. _If you don't quit thinking about the past, you'll never be able to get through the present! And then you'll never be able to see her again!_

The internal conflict must have been apparent on his face, for Misty presently asked, "What's wrong, Alexander?"

"Hm?" His head snapped up, surprise written on his face. "Why... nothing. I'm all right."

"It looked as if you were sad there for a minute," she explained.

Alexander cursed himself for allowing his emotions to get the best of him, and immediately cracked a smile. "Well now... I have no reason to be sad, do I? Not when you're here to keep me company..." He put his arm around her as he said this, gently running his hand down her arm.

Misty blushed furiously.

_Sheesh, Alexander... This is even sappier than usual... _he told himself dryly. _Don't lead her on like so... it'll hurt her all the more when you leave._

But, as usual...

Alexander just couldn't help himself.

* * *

At long last, the Ending Ceremony of the Open House arrived. 

Once more, all the people packed themselves into the Pokémon League HQ Building, eager to hear Lance speak once again. Ash, Latias, Misty, Brock, Tracey, and Alexander managed somehow to squeeze themselves up to the front, where they could see Lance and the rest of the Elite Four.

"Good evening, everyone!" Lance said into a microphone, prompting the excited crowd to quiet down. "I hope that all of you had a great time at the Open House today!" The crowd cheered loudly in response, and Lance had to wait a few seconds to speak again. "Once again, I'm Lance Scott, the Elite Four Champion, Dragon Master, and Leader of Pokémon League, and I hope to see all of you again someday-perhaps in battle for the chance to become a Pokémon Master! With that, the Open House is over, have a great rest of the evening! Please head outside for the final fireworks display." With that, Lance stepped off of the stage, and everyone began to clear out of the building as a firework finale started to light up the clear night sky.

With a sigh of relief that he had—more or less—gotten through another hectic Open House, Lance turned to find the door leading out so he could get back to his room and take a nice, hot shower. However, he stopped short when he found Ash and his crew walking up to him.

"Well, hello there, Ash, everyone," Lance greeted, a smile lighting up his face. "How did you like the Open House?"

"It was great!" Ash exclaimed. "We had an awesome time!"

Brock nodded in agreement. "I liked the Pokémon Breeder mini-workshop," he said. "I had no idea how many things breeders have to take into consideration when they start breeding their Pokémon!"

"I liked the different areas where they talked about the different Pokémon types," Misty spoke up. "Especially the Water-types, of course!"

"The Stadiums were the best part," Ash said excitedly. "I won a couple of the trainer battles they were holding there!"

Lance smiled at all of their enthusiastic comments. "That's great to hear you all had a good time," he said, sounding pleased. "You know… you all can come up here to Pokémon League whenever you'd like. You're all a nice bunch, and it would be my pleasure to let you explore Pokémon League to your heart's content. Of course, it's entirely up to you…"

Tracey looked excited at the thought of going around Pokémon League again, minus all the people. It would mean more time to draw any and all Pokémon he encountered! "Really? That sounds awesome!" he blurted, garnering strange stares from his friends.

/Lance wants to keep tabs on Latias/ Nalia explained privately to Ash. /So you have to come back./

Ash understood. "It sounds great, Lance!" he agreed. Latias nodded her approval. "Whenever we want?"

"Certainly," Lance said, looking a bit tired. "Now if you all will excuse me… I'm beat… Until next time…" With that, the Dragon Master disappeared in a whirl of his cape down a hall.

"Impressive guy," Alexander murmured thoughtfully, watching Lance go.

Misty nodded. "He is, isn't he?" she agreed. "Hey, Ash! Let's hurry and catch the rest of the fireworks. I bet… Lani would like to see them."

/I would! I would/ exclaimed Latias to Ash. /Lots of bright, pretty colors/

Ash bit his tongue to stop from laughing at her enthusiasm. "Ok, ok, let's go!" he said, racing after his friends to the door outside.

Alexander, in the meantime, stood quietly in the middle of the hall, fingering a gold necklace hanging down upon his chest. "So it begins…" he whispered to himself, slowly walking after them. "Once this job is over… I'll be ready… to finally settle things with my past…

"Once and for all…"

* * *

_The next day…_

Late into the next morning, at the Indigo Plateau Pokémon Center, Misty awoke to several strange sounds coming from outside.

"Oooooooooooooo…"

"Awoowoooowoooo…"

"Almost. Try it again. Ooooooooooooooo…"

"What in the world?" Misty wondered, getting out of bed and stretching. She stood and crossed over to the window overlooking the back of the Pokémon Center. Peering outside, she spotted Ash and Latias (in human form, of course) sitting on the grass and making the odd sounds at one another. Anyone else who would have chanced to see them would have thought they'd lost their minds.

Brock groaned from where he was lying in bed, burying his head under his pillow. "What the heck is that, Misty?" he asked.

"I think… Ash is trying to teach Latias how to talk," she observed, watching Latias smile at the strange new sounds coming from her own mouth. Nalia and Pikachu laughed from where they sat on their friends' shoulders, and Ash grinned with deep blush on both his cheeks.

"That's talking?" Brock questioned.

"Well… Latias couldn't even make sounds before… I think she's doing good," Misty said, smiling at the sight of her friends.

It was the oddest feeling. For the longest time, Misty thought she and Ash would hit it off someday. Sure, his stubbornness and hasty nature got on her nerves, and boy, was he naïve. But she'd liked him all the same for it, telling herself that with her help, he'd someday mature enough so that they could really start considering a romantic relationship. But that had been about four years ago. While Ash had certainly matured and grown since Misty first met him, he still had an unmistakably innocent nature. He was so determined, so trusting, and so brave… Everybody's hero. Right? Misty thought so.

She smiled down at Ash affectionately, as he and Latias continued on to another set of outrageous keening. _But… look at him. He and Latias are like two of a kind. They're both so innocent and unknowing… And it seems… right for them to be together. _She was surprised at herself for thinking such a thing, as Misty was not known for giving up all that easily on something she wanted. But that's the way it seemed to be. Just like it was a given that grass was green, the sky was blue, and the world was round… so it seemed that Ash and Latias were meant to be…

_Maybe it is,_ Misty reminded herself, thinking of the prophecy Ash had told them about. That in itself didn't surprise her. Ash seemed destined for everything… So maybe it was right he should be with a Legendary Pokémon… however strange that might seem. _But it's not romance. It's not love. Not yet. _Another smile tugged at her mouth. _Ash doesn't know what that is yet. But they will… someday…_

_But will I know love someday? Someday soon? I hope so…_

Brock cocked his head at Misty, a little concerned by her silence. _It isn't like Misty to be so quiet,_ he thought. _But maybe I'm just worrying too much._

As to why… Brock couldn't even begin to come up with an answer for that.

Misty finally moved back to her bed, and picked up Togepi's sleeping form in her arms. _Maybe I will find love, _she thought dreamily, thinking of Alexander in the room next door. _Alexander's so cute… and he actually likes me back! …Gosh, I hope so!_

But what Alexander said about Brock possibly liking her bothered her… Was Alexander right? …But that couldn't be. She had known Brock for a long time, as they were both Gym Leaders, and lived in neighboring cities. But still… that was just friendship, right?

_You know you missed him when you were in the Orange Islands…_ her mind teased, invoking a mental slap to shut it up.

"So… where did Tracey go?" asked Brock, in nothing more than a desperate attempt to have her speak again, just so he would be assured she wasn't dead on her feet.

"…I don't know," Misty answered, looking at Tracey's empty bed. "Probably out drawing, if I know him."

Brock sighed. "Well, I guess if you've got the talent, use it," he muttered to himself. "So what are we doing today?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm sure going to visit Lance again is somewhere in there. Probably has something to do with Ash and Latias…" There was something of a wistful tone in her voice as she said it.

"Something wrong?"

Misty shook her head. "No. I'm fine…" she assured.

But as the sounds of Ash and Latias' eager cries of new letter sounds filled the air… Misty knew that was a lie. With realizing something that neither Ash nor Latias would never bring to mind themselves…

…Misty knew Ash was lost to her forever.

And strangely enough… she wasn't sad at all…

* * *

At about that same time… Lance poked his head out the window of the Elite Four HQ to see the same sight that Misty was observing. He gave Ash and Latias a blank stare, not entirely sure what they were doing. 

"Are those two well?" he asked, drawing his head back in and giving Will a meaningful stare. The young psychic, who was sitting in a chair nearby studying a newspaper, looked up.

"Ash and Latias?" he questioned. "Certainly."

"Then why are they howling like a couple of Growlithes that lost their favorite toys?"

Will sighed. "Don't know. But I'll find out…" He closed his eyes, slipping into a deep trance, and called out to Nalia with his powers. /Nalia/

/Oh! Will! Hi/ the little Natu responded eagerly from outside. /Good morning/

/Good morning to you too, sweetheart/ replied Will kindly. /Are you out there with Ash and Latias/

/Yep/

/Whatever are they doing? We can hear them all the way up here in the Elite Four Headquarters./

Nalia giggled. /Oh, that. Latias wanted to learn how to talk in her human form, so she wouldn't seem so out of place and she could talk to Ash easier/ she explained. /So… Ash is trying to teach her. He's trying to help her learn to make all the sounds./

Will laughed out loud, eliciting a curious look from Lance. /Well, that's terribly kind of him. Those two seem to get along so well… They truly are destined to be together…/ he mused. /I'll see you in person later then, sweetie. Take care…/

/Ok! Bye, Will/ Nalia chirped happily, before Will slid out of his trance and opened his eyes once more.

Lance sweatdropped. "Ok… what did I miss?" he asked.

Will granted his friend a rare smile. "Nothing…" he teased. "Nothing at all…"

* * *

Outside, Latias was making excellent progress in her "voice lessons." Since Latias already knew what the human words were, it was just a matter of getting her vocal cords to cooperate with her brain, and piecing together what sounds went in each word. 

"L…Let's… stop… now," she finally declared, playing with each foreign sound she spoke out.

"A break, you mean? Good idea!" Ash exclaimed, getting to his feet. His face hurt; he hadn't smiled so much for so long in his entire life. But the entire ordeal was fun; no small thanks to Latias being a fast learner (but since she was a Legendary, and a Psychic-type, being smart was to be expected!). "Let's go get something to eat, I'm hungry. Are you?"

"I'm… hungwy. Yes." Latias beamed at herself.

"It's hunGRY, Latias. With an R," Ash corrected.

"…Hun…gry?"

Ash nodded. "That's right! Ok, let's go," he said, gathering Pikachu up in one hand and grabbing Latias' hand in the other. Latias smiled, and mischievously slipped her hand out of his grasp.

"Race!" she declared, running ahead of him back towards the Pokémon Center.

Ash blinked. "A race?" he repeated. "Ok! You're on!" He sprinted off across the grass after his friend, Nalia flapping her tiny little wings furiously to keep up behind him. Pikachu leaped out of Ash's arm and began running after his trainer also, laughing the entire way. The brief race ended as soon as Ash slowed to a stop in front of the Pokémon Center, gasping for air. Latias was waiting for him, a triumphant grin on her face. She held out a hand for Nalia to land on as Ash approached her.

"Ok, you win," he relented, putting out a hand for her to shake. Latias looked at it, before taking it. As soon as she did, however, Ash jerked her towards himself and caught her in a hug, tickling her sides mercilessly. "But I don't take losing that easily!"

Latias shook her head, still unable (or perhaps just not accustomed) to laugh out loud, and pulled herself out of his grasp. She gave him a playful push, and Ash playfully pushed her back. The two then grabbed each other's hands and tried to push each other at the same time; which would have gone on had it not been for a new voice coming from behind them.

"Well, well… Never expected you, of all people, to have a girlfriend, Ash Ketchum!"

Ash and Latias both turned to the newcomer. While Latias simply stared at the stranger in confusion, Ash blushed furiously upon recognizing her. She was about 16-years old, and had long brown hair put into a ponytail. She wore a magenta colored tank top underneath a blue jean jacket, with both the sleeves rolled up, and a blue jean skirt with two belts around it, holding six Pokéballs each. Her black leather boots came up to her knees, and had three buckles around each of them. In addition, she also wore a pair of fingerless black leather gloves; the right one of which ended above her wrists, and the left one of which ended below her elbow. Like her boots, the gloves had silver buckles on them; the right only one, while the left had a total of three. To complete the look, the girl had a dark-brown leather headband around her forehead, with two straps hanging off the sides in front of her ears. The straps had buckles on the ends, with a red-orange feather hanging off each of them. Anyone who knew their Pokémon Masters could instantly guess who she was, even if they'd never seen her before.

"Sam?" Ash gasped. "What are you doing here?"

The teenage Pokémon League Grand Master, Samantha McPhoenix, smiled and lowered her pink sunglasses down on her nose. "I might ask you the same thing," she said, going to her childhood friend and giving him a quick hug. "Ash! Long time no see! It's great to see you again."

"Pika! Pikachu!" exclaimed a Pikachu from her shoulder, which had a purple bandanna tied around his ears.

"Seems like Joey agrees," Sam laughed.

Ash looked excited to see Sam again. The two had grown up as childhood friends in Pallet Town, and despite starting their adventures at about the same time, Sam had managed to pull further ahead than he, and claimed Pokémon League Grand Master-ship; both in Kanto and Johto. Despite this, Sam never bragged about her status to others (ok, if it was to someone she disliked), and tried her best to remain down to earth despite all she had accomplished.

"So, Sam… what are you up to?" Ash asked. "I thought you were planning on heading to… Hoenn, right? To compete there."

"I was…" Sam admitted, looking embarrassed. "But then… I got this feeling… I don't know where it came from, but it told me… I should stick around in Kanto, just a while longer. So I came here to see if Lance could help me sort things out." Then she laughed. "But don't mind me! I must not make any sense at all!"

Ash could agree with her there, but decided not to say so. "Were you here for the Open House?" he asked.

"No… sadly, I wasn't. Just missed it. Not that I don't know my way around Indigo Plateau already or anything… But yeah. So… Who's your friend, Ash?"

"Oh, this… is Lani," Ash introduced. "She's… quiet, but she's really nice."

"I'm sure… Hi, I'm Samantha McPhoenix," Sam greeted, shaking Latias' hand. "But you can call me Sam, if you like."

"…Hi," Latias managed to reply.

Sam got a thoughtful look in her eyes as she let go of Latias' hand, but it was soon gone. "So, Ash… Are you heading off to Hoenn too?"

"Yeah, I guess so… Gotta keep up with you, right?"

"Right… like that's gonna happen," Sam teased. "I'll come by and see ya later. Right now, I want to see Lance. That ok with ya?"

Ash nodded, as Pikachu hopped on his shoulder. "Ok. Yeah, come back later. Misty, Brock, and Tracey are here too."

"Really? That's awesome… Yeah, I'll definitely come to visit." Sam quickly clipped her headband straps together behind her head, to keep them out of her face, and then started off for the Elite Four HQ Building. "See ya…"

"Bye," Ash replied, watching her go. His growling stomach quickly reminded him of food. "Ok, now let's go get something to eat," he said, with a grin.

He, Latias, Nalia, and Pikachu headed into the Pokémon Center once again. Not knowing they were being watched…

* * *

…by Alexander. 

The young mercenary was hidden quietly in the shadows of the trees lining the side of the Pokémon Center, chewing thoughtfully on a toothpick. He had been watching Ash and Latias ever since they had left, and now… They were back.

He wasn't exactly sure why he wanted to watch the two. It bothered him so much, that Latias was so sweet and innocent and cute… But despite all his inner anxieties he watched; knowing that it would be tough to snatch her from this happy life and deliver her to Giovanni. That's what Alexander had to do, though. He had to have the money Giovanni was offering him… Once he got it, he would finally have enough to do what he had been planning for so long…

But even the clever, cunning young Alexander hadn't expected the arrival of Samantha McPhoenix on the scene. As soon as her voice reached his ears, he nearly choked on the toothpick he had in his mouth.

"…the hell?" he hissed to himself, watching her converse with Ash. "…Perfect. If she joins Ash's little group, there's no way I can continue hanging around with them! Miss McPhoenix will beat the living daylights out of me…" His thoughts went to a job of his several months ago, when he had been hired by someone to steal the medallion and sword of the McPhoenix family. He hadn't expected to contend with the entire McPhoenix family, however, and his plans to rob them had failed. The only job he had ever failed…

"Curse her…" he growled, spitting the toothpick to the ground as he watched her walk off. "She made me forfeit a good job… If I had succeeded, I wouldn't have had to come out here to Kanto… I did manage to take her by surprise, though… She won't live that down… Lovely little Affinity of Fire…"

Alexander paused, wondering exactly where that had come from. Ok, so she was cute… But still…

"If that's the way you'll play me, my dear Miss McPhoenix… I'm afraid I'll have to take some compensation for my troubles…" he murmured, a slow smile playing upon his face at the thought of ruining Samantha McPhoenix's day. "I'll be the only person ever to have bested you…

"Are you ready for me?"

* * *

"Lance!" 

Lance and Will's heads both snapped up at the same time, upon hearing the very familiar voice. The Dragon Master's eyes lit up, and he got to his feet to greet her.

"Sam! Ya little runt! Where have you been?" he cried, sweeping the small teenager off her feet and hugging her.

Sam giggled, and hugged Lance back. "Oh, here and there, that's all…"

Will smiled, getting up as well. "Miss McPhoenix. Greetings. What brings you back to Indigo Plateau?"

"Yeah, what would the 'Grand Master' need to be back in such a lowly place as this for?" Lance teased, before getting a slap in the arm.

"You're a riot, Lance," she said dryly, stepping back from him. "Actually… I just recently spoke to Ho-Oh in Ecruteak City…"

At those words, Lance's face went serious, and his eyes took on their eerie gold color again. "Is that so… Lady of Phoenixes?"

Sam looked at the floor. "Dragon Master…"

"What did she say?"

"Lots of things… that the Child of Legendaries has found her Chosen One… That Rayquaza is gearing up for the threat of war once again… And…" She paused, sounding reluctant. "…Her mate reports… darkness brewing in the west…"

A low growl escaped Lance's throat. _"Darkness in the west?"_ he snarled in Draic, startling Sam and making Will gape at him. _"That cannot be… That is history repeating itself once more!"_

Sam blinked in confusion, unable to understand the ancient dragon language. "What…? Oh no… Rayquaza, is that you?"

In his anger, Rayquaza didn't even bother to vent in a language poor Sam could comprehend. _"Samantha McPhoenix, you're Ho-Oh's Chosen! She did not tell me of this when we spoke before! What is this darkness? Tell me! Tell me!"_

"Rayquaza…" Sam looked up nervously, almost frightened of the man standing before her. Lance, one of her closest friends, now caught in the grip of an ancient Dragon Pokémon… "Rayquaza, don't treat Lance like this. He's not your puppet; he's your partner. Ho-Oh respects me, why don't you respect him? Don't treat him like he's your slave, because he's not!"

_"Don't tell me what I can and cannot do, Lady of Phoenixes…"_ the Legendary Dragon spoke dangerously.

Will shook his head. "Rayquaza… Please. No tensions, now. Let Lance be, and let Sam tell us what is amiss…" he begged.

Rayquaza growled again. "So be it…" he uttered finally, in human speak, before releasing his hold on Lance. The Dragon Master gasped in half pain, half relief, and fell to his knees.

Sam's face grew sad, and she put her arms around Lance's neck in a comforting hug. "Lance… Rayquaza shouldn't treat you like this… He's hurting you…" she whispered.

Lance managed a weak smile at her concern. "I'm fine… don't worry about me," he soothed. "Now spill it. What exactly is this trouble that Ho-Oh is sensing? Hm?"

Sam swallowed back her tears. She couldn't let Lance see her cry; her Affinity of Fire made her too proud for that… "Well, it's like this…"

* * *

If Ash, Misty, or Brock seem out of character, I'm very sorry… Maybe this is why I try not to write fics with them too often… I know it seems like Misty sorta gave up on Ash right away, but it's supposed to signify that Ash and Latias were meant to be together by destiny… Besides, she's got Alexander now, doesn't she? (grins) Ok, only for a little while, but… 

When it mentions Alexander trying to rob Sam and her family before… it's referring to the fanfic Another Encounter at Olivine City, which my dad wrote, and can be found in my profile. Please check it out, it's actually pretty good.

Ok, it's become official. Bound To The Dragon's Heart is now the prequel to Pokémon Colosseum. My fanfic, I mean. So if you're reading this, you might enjoy reading Pokémon Colosseum (nothing is really given away for that story… although if you read both, some mysteries might be made clear…). And vice-versa. I guess.


	10. Chapter 10: Seizing the Moment

**Bound To The Dragon's Heart**

**Chapter 10: Seize the Moment**

"Bayleef, Body Slam!"

With one last attack by the Grass-type Pokémon, the opposing Primeape was finally knocked out, ending the battle.

"Aw, man!" the trainer Ash had been facing exclaimed. "Good battle, Primeape. Return." The boy recalled his Fighting-type, before approaching Ash and shaking his hand. "That was a good match, but I guess I need to train more."

Ash grinned. "You put up a great fight. Keep it up!" he assured, as the boy left. "Hey Bayleef, that was awesome. I'm proud of you!"

Bayleef smiled broadly, happy she had made her trainer proud. "Bay! Bay-leef!" she exclaimed.

Latias, sitting on a bench with Pikachu and Nalia and observing the battles Ash was engaging in all over Indigo Plateau, smiled and clapped her hands happily. She was really impressed by how well Ash could battle. Although it didn't seem like he used a whole lot of carefully wrought strategy, he still managed to win impressively. And all without most of his Pokémon being evolved! Ash relied mostly on gut instinct and the inner strength and will of his Pokémon to win battles. And that, in itself, was admirable indeed.

"So… what did you think, Latias?" Ash asked her, careful to make sure no one else heard him. "Were you impressed?" He struck a heroic pose.

Latias giggled silently, and nodded. Ash smiled at this; he still had a lot to do, to get her to become used to using her voice in human form. But no hurry…

Bayleef scowled up at this unfamiliar face, and Ash patted her leaf obliviously. "Oh, sorry, Bayleef. This is Latias. She's a Legendary Pokémon, but in human form. Apparently, she and I are part of some prophecy… so that's why we're hanging together. To see if we can figure it all out."

This did not sit well with the Grass-type Pokémon at all. Though she smiled and pretended to greet Latias happily, she was fuming silently on the inside. Ash was her human! He was supposed to like her best! After all, she was his only evolved Pokémon in his current team, right? Well, besides Noctowl, but Noctowl was caught evolved, so that didn't count. She had evolved for Ash from a Chikorita, a sweet, cute Chikorita, to her current powerful form as a Bayleef! He should appreciate that! After all, she had grown a lot, and now found it slightly difficult to snuggle with him anymore… But see? She was willing to sacrifice for Ash! From what she'd heard, even Pikachu had refused to evolve for Ash, a long time ago… but she hadn't done that! She wanted to be strong for Ash! Pikachu didn't really love Ash if he wasn't going to try his best!

Pikachu frowned slightly as he watched Bayleef staring up at Ash and Latias. He wasn't oblivious to Bayleef's affections for Ash; he'd known that from the time they had captured her as a Chikorita in Johto. But he knew that could only mean trouble for Latias. After all, Bayleef still gave Pikachu a wary look every so often, jealous that Ash loved Pikachu best out of all his Pokémon. The Electric-type hugged Latias in a protective way; he would not let anything get in between _Pika-pi_ and Latias!

Latias bit her lip nervously. She knew exactly what Bayleef was trying to convey in her faux-smile. Latias was part Psychic-type, after all. The message was clear: "Back off from Ash!" _…But I like Ash!_ she thought to herself. _He's so nice, and honest, and loves all Pokémon very much! I can't just leave him now!_

Nalia peeped nonchalantly from where she was perched on Latias's shoulder, pretending not to take heed of any of this. She didn't want to be involved in a fight, but if it came down to Bayleef standing in the way of Ash and Latias's destiny, the little Natu would have no choice but to intervene. Will wanted her to help Ash and Latias for him, so that's what she would do.

All four Pokémon smiled warmly at one another, giving Ash the false impression that they were all very happy to meet each other.

But underneath, they knew exactly what the ulterior motives were…

It was on.

* * *

Meanwhile, in another area of Indigo Plateau, Misty, Brock, and Tracey were listening in rapt fascination to a speech being given on the proper care of Water and Ice-type Pokémon by former Elite Four member Lorelei Snowsong. Though not part of the Elite Four anymore, she was still considered a Pokémon Master, and spent her days training of Pokémon and researching new and better ways to care for them. 

Misty listened with awe and amazement; Lorelei had always been the young Gym Leader's hero as a trainer. She held Togepi up on her shoulders so that the baby Pokémon could see Lorelei's demonstration of how to wash and polish a Cloyster's shell thoroughly (never an easy feat), taking mental note of everything said. Misty wanted to be the world's best Water-type trainer someday; she had better take advice from an expert!

Brock, naturally, was listening in complete and utter infatuation. How could he not? Lorelei was gorgeous! When the pretty blonde Pokémon League Master bent over to pick up a fallen brush for grooming her Jynx's hair, he nearly passed out with a nosebleed.

Tracey, true to form, was scribbling away fiercely on his drawing pad, recording each of the lovely Ice-types that Lorelei presented. He nearly wet himself with excitement when Lorelei released her prized Articuno, captured in the Seafoam Islands several years back. He was in Pokémon Watcher's heaven, or pretty darn close to it. Much to Misty and Brock's dismay, he had gone off and purchased two new drawing pads and a new set of sketching pencils that morning, so… they wouldn't be getting much out of him anytime soon.

And in the back of the audience gathered around… Alexander smiled grimly. Misty, Brock, and Tracey, at least, were out of his way. Now he could push forward with his plans. These kids were now used to his disappearing and reappearing… which would make it all the easier for him to disappear with Latias… and never return.

_Nothing personal. It never is…_ he thought, with a dark smile.

And with that, he strode off in search of Ash and Latias. The time had, at last, come.

* * *

Several minutes of scouring Indigo Plateau brought Alexander back to the Pokémon Center, where he spied Ash and Latias in a little garden area nearby, set up for Grass and Bug-type Pokémon to live. Smoothing a loose strand of hair behind his ear, the young mercenary stepped into the peaceful area and approached the two and the several Pokémon with them. Ash had released all of his Pokémon to enjoy the warm, beautiful day, and they were all engaged in a friendly game of tag together, save for Noctowl, who was snoozing with his head under his wing, and Nalia, who was too small and shy to play with the others. Ash was enthusiastically describing to Latias the time he had first met Lance at the Lake of Rage in Johto, but stopped when he noticed Alexander approaching. 

"Oh, hey Alexander," Ash greeted.

Alexander smiled, and sat himself down next to Latias on the bench they were seated at. "Hello Ash, Miss Lani. I trust you're both enjoying your time at Pokémon League?"

"Yeah, definitely! I've been getting a lot of experience battling other trainers here… I hope that'll help me when I enter the Silver Conference coming up!" Ash said. "To be honest, I'm kinda nervous about it… The trainers around here are serious about this. I'll probably have to face a bunch of really strong ones when I battle."

"Well, certainly," Alexander said. "But isn't that the point of entering a tournament? To test yourself against the strongest trainers you can find? I mean, granted, no one likes to lose. But when you lose to a really powerful trainer, whom you can tell has poured his or her heart and soul into the Pokémon they defeated you with… can't you help but feel like you've gained something in losing as well? At least the knowledge that there is still room for you and your Pokémon to grow and become even better?"

Ash thought about this. "I never thought about it that way…" he murmured.

Getting a little bored, and feeling left out of the conversation, Latias stood up and began to admire the pretty flowers growing on the bushes and trees around the garden. A Butterfree and Bellossom, sensing immediately that Latias was more than she appeared to be, came to her and greeted her with friendly cries. Smiling, Latias patted both on the head, and silently giggled as Butterfree flew about her, sprinkling a glittering dust around her.

Alexander's eyes softened. "She… seems so innocent. And sweet," he murmured softly. "…I ask you, do you like her, Ash?"

"Huh?" Ash was startled by the unexpected question. "What do you mean…?"

"Do you have feelings for Miss Lani?" Alexander asked, twisting a strand of hair around his finger as he spoke. "…Do you like her?"

Ash sweatdropped. "You mean, like-like? Nah, no way! I mean…"

Alexander laughed. "There's no need to rush love, Ash," he teased. "No, I mean do you have a feeling for her deep down, something that binds you to her and her to you… something that makes you think of her always and want to keep her close at all times?" He paused, smiling at Ash's blank face. "…Cause somehow, that seems to be the case. But maybe that's just me…"

Ash frowned. "…No offense, but you think about weird things," he commented skeptically, looking back at Latias to see her gathering several flowers with the help of her new friends Butterfree and Bellossom.

"I know I do…" Alexander admitted. "…I'm sorry. It's just… I knew… or know… someone just like her… whom I think of always… More than anything, I want to see her again, even if just once. So Ash… don't take Miss Lani for granted. That's all I ask. People like her are rarities…"

…_Considering Latias isn't even a person, but a Pokémon… I guess that would be true,_ Ash thought with amusement. "…Don't worry. I wouldn't take her for granted. She's my friend."

"…I can certainly see that…"

At that moment, Latias came back to the two with several flowers in hand and a beautiful smile on her face. She took a pink one and gave it to Ash proudly. "…For you," she spoke softly. "Because… you are my friend and I love you."

Ash and Alexander's jaws both dropped. Though Latias had meant it in a sweet, innocent, and friendly way, Ash was no idiot. He knew what her words could implicate. With red cheeks, he glanced wordlessly at Alexander before accepting Latias's flower. "…Ah… um… Thank you… I…" Ash trailed off, trying to find words that would let her know that her present was appreciated, without sounding stupid in front of Alexander. Then he shrugged carelessly. Who cared what Alexander thought? "…I love it."

Latias beamed happily, and this time, an audible giggle did escape her throat. Happily she turned to Alexander, and, selecting another flower from her little bouquet, presented it to him. "For you," she stated. "Because you are my friend, too… and it is like your hair. Pretty and blue." She giggled at her words.

All the color drained out of Alexander's face as he stared into Latias's eyes. Those gold eyes that he knew to be that of an innocent young Pokémon within. For a moment, he could not even reply. _God, no, why… Just like… her… I…_ He swallowed, before forcing a smile. "I… Thank you… I, I really like it. That's quite sweet of you…" His hand trembled as he took the blue flower from her. It wasn't quite like his hair… it was more like his eyes… her eyes…

"…I'm sorry, would you excuse me?" he found himself saying, getting to his feet and striding off, away from a very confused Ash and Latias, who both wondered what was wrong. But they couldn't know…

Once a safe distance away, Alexander allowed himself to break down, collapsing to his knees and sobbing wholeheartedly. It wasn't fair. Why did it have to be this way…? Tears trickled down his smooth, young face, tracing down to the sides of his jaw and across the scar that reminded him of what he was, of what he had to do. Biting his lip until it bled, Alexander pressed the flower to his lips in a kiss, leaving droplets of red upon the soft blue petals.

"I hate my life…" he whispered, blinking the last of his tears away. "I just can't… do this…" He turned the flower back and forth in his hand, before tossing it aside sharply and getting to his feet.

"…But I have to. God forgive me..."

* * *

After the presentation, Misty, Brock, and Tracey went off to look for Ash and Latias once again, wondering where both they and Alexander had gone off to. 

"Those three always seem to just up and vanish," Misty grumbled.

Brock shrugged. "That seems to be the case…" he murmured softly.

Tracey didn't comment, as his eyes were combing the area for a new art subject to draw. He looked back and forth, before suddenly giving an exclamation and whipping out his drawing pad and pencil faster than light.

"Now what is it?" Misty asked, though as usual, Tracey didn't reply. He raced off down the street until he came to a girl leaning against a lamppost thoughtfully, a Pikachu sitting faithfully at her feet. The girl looked startled as Tracey suddenly popped up in front of her, but relaxed and smiled when she realized who it was. She waited patiently for Tracey to finish drawing and for Misty and Brock to catch up, before she shifted her position and stepped forward.

"Look good?" Tracey asked, showing her the completed sketch.

"Of course!" she replied. "…Though I think you flatter me too much in the picture!"

Tracey laughed. "It's all genuine, I assure you," he insisted. "It's been a while since I've drawn Miss Samantha McPhoenix!"

"Tracey Sketchit, long time no see," Sam giggled, giving the young Pokémon Watcher a friendly hug. "How's work at Professor Oak's lab?"

"A dream come true," Tracey assured.

"And Misty and Brock! Oh my gosh, it's been forever!" Sam exclaimed, hugging both of them as well. "Haven't seen you since… well, since I challenged you two for badges. Which seems like forever."

Misty and Brock smiled at Sam. "Yep, it seems that way," Brock replied. "This is a surprise! What have you been up to lately?"

Sam shrugged, scooping up her Pikachu, Joey, and hugging him. "Mm… not much. I'm trying to keep a low profile, actually… Too many crazy fans… or stalkers… or challengers… or criminals attempting to rob me." She made a face. "Being a Pokémon Master really isn't as fun as it seems to be. If I had known that, I wouldn't have bothered trying to defeat Lance and the Elite Four."

"Ah, don't say that," Tracey insisted. "You know you enjoy it."

Sam blushed. "Yeah, yeah, you're right…" she sighed. "…So anyways, where's Ash and his girlfriend? I saw them this morning; I thought they might be with you."

"We don't know," Brock replied. "We haven't seen either of them since breakfast."

Misty nodded. "We seem to be losing track of our friends lately," she admitted with a laugh. "Ash and Lani, and then Alexander."

The smile faded on Sam's face. "…Alexander?" she repeated.

"Oh, sorry. He's someone we met yesterday. Real cute guy. I think you'd like him," Misty teased.

Sam, however, did not look at all pleased at the thought. On the contrary, she looked almost horrified. "…This… Alexander…" she said stiffly, as if trying to restrain her true feelings. "…What did he look like?"

Misty smiled at the thought of Alexander, and hugged Togepi close as she described him in an entranced stupor. "Oh… really cute…" she replied. "He has… really long aqua-green hair, and gorgeous blue eyes… and a scar under his left eye. Really hot…"

Sam and Joey looked at each other incredulously. "No way!" Sam gasped. "He's showing his face here?"

"Huh, what do you mean?" Tracey asked. "Do you know him, Sam?"

"Do I?" Sam gave a disgusted snort. "Of course I do! I met him a few months ago, in Johto… He freakin' tried to rob me and my family!"

Misty gasped. "Wha-what? That can't be Alexander! He's too nice for that!"

Sam sighed. "Hey, I know what you mean. He is quite the charmer, and really sweet. But that's all to hide his true identity. He's Alexander Tokaru, a traditional mercenary from Johto whom they call the pirate prince of Johto. He's known for his skill with the longsword, and never failing a job assigned to him. …That is, until he tried robbing me… I kinda messed that up…" She blushed to herself. "…Doubt he's forgiven me for that…"

"You're saying Alexander is a criminal?" Brock asked. "…I knew it! I knew there was something fishy about him!"

Misty couldn't believe it. "But… but…" she whimpered. "That can't be…"

"I'm sorry, Misty, but it's the truth," Sam said. "…I wonder what he's up to? He wouldn't be about in the open unless he was planning to steal something… or something else of that nature…"

"Well, whatever he's planning, we have to stop him," Brock said.

Sam nodded thoughtfully. "I think… you all have to find Ash and Lani, and make sure they know about this," she suggested. "Let me deal with Alexander. Not only does he have sword skills—though somehow, I doubt he'd use them against us, he's not really like that—but he's also a really talented trainer. Much as I hate to admit it, he took me by surprise when I first faced him. So don't try to engage him if you don't have to."

"But Sam…" Misty stepped forward, her face fierce. "I won't believe that Alexander is a criminal and a jerk. Let me come with you, I want to hear it from him personally."

"Misty, if Sam says it's the case…" Brock began.

"…Look. He is a criminal, make no mistake," Sam said, her eyes darkening. "But I wouldn't say he is a jerk. He's a nice guy, for all it's worth, and it's a bloody shame he tossed his lot in with criminal activity. But if you want to come along, you can. Just don't get in the way if things start to get rough."

Misty nodded, trying to hide the hurt she felt inside over this revelation.

"We'll go and find Ash and Lani, then," Tracey said.

"We'll also go and let Lance know about this," Brock added, thinking that the Dragon Master would want to know about something that might endanger Latias.

Sam nodded. "Good idea," she said. "Right then… see y'all later…"

With that, the guys headed in one direction, the girls the other, to try and stop whatever Alexander was planning.

They could not have known that his plans were already in motion…

* * *

"Is your Rocket command ready, then?" Alexander asked softly, leaning against the wall of a building that looked like an abandoned warehouse near the Viridian City Gym, but was actually a place that Team Rocket organized their activities. Licking the now-clotted area of his lip that he had bitten several minutes earlier, the young mercenary watched Domino as she spoke into a walkie-talkie, before she looked at him and nodded. 

"They are. I selected only a few troops, so that we would be as stealthy as possible," she told him.

"How many?"

"Only about twelve of them. But they'll get the job done. Especially if it is as you say it is, that there are only two of them with several Pokémon."

Alexander nodded approvingly. "That would indeed be the case, my dear," he said. "A boy and his Pokémon, and Latias in her human form. I suggest we move now, before we lose our element of surprise." He thought momentarily of the fact that Samantha McPhoenix was in the city, which could very well play a part in this entire plan… Now was the moment.

Domino saluted. "Agreed. Rockets, move out!" she commanded into her walkie-talkie, before turning and leaving to lead the command.

Alexander watched her go, his gaze going over this room he was in. It was a small office, with a large holding cell on one end of it. In the middle of the floor was a cage, which could be charged with Dark-type energy to prevent Psychic Pokémon from breaking free. This would be the cage that Latias would be put into. Then, from what he'd heard, she would be used to lure Latios in Altomare Island so Giovanni could have a complete set. So Alexander had heard, after all. It mattered not to him. With the money he earned from this job, Alexander would have enough to complete his ultimate objective at long last. Something he had been striving towards for nearly eight years now… With a soft smile full of regret, he closed his eyes, and breathed deeply.

Let this be the day all the pain went away…

* * *

After several minutes of waiting around for Alexander to come back, Ash and Latias finally decided that maybe he didn't want to come back. 

/I hope I didn't do anything to make him upset…/ Latias commented by way of Nalia to Ash. /I thought he'd like the flower./

Ash shrugged, recalling all his Pokémon back and letting Pikachu jump on his head. "If so, it's not your fault," he assured. "Alexander's kinda weird. Who knows what goes through his head."

Latias smiled a little, as she and Ash continued through the gardens hand-in-hand, admiring the beautiful greenery. /I suppose… there is something a bit strange about him. He has a good heart, but it's so troubled…/

"How do you know?" he asked.

/I'm part Psychic-type, remember? I can sense these kinds of things about people and Pokémon./

"Oh right!" Ash blushed. "Sorry… I mean, I've spent more time with you in human form than in Pokémon form… I keep forgetting you're a Dragon/Psychic-type Pokémon."

/Don't forget/ pleaded Latias. /I mean… being a human is fun, but I'm still a Pokémon. I don't want you to forget who I really am./

Ash smiled, and slipped his hand out of Latias's grasp to put his arm around her shoulders, hugging her close. "…Don't worry," he insisted, a rare, serious tone to his voice. "…I would never forget that. I… I like everything about you, which includes the fact that you are a Pokémon."

Latias looked surprised at his words, and turned to face him. /Do you really mean that? I mean… you don't find this weird/ she asked.

"What's so weird? That I have a Pokémon as a friend? No way! I mean, look at Pikachu!" Ash pointed to the Electric-type on his head. "He's one of my best friends! That's not weird."

/No, I mean… Oh, never mind/ Latias said. /As long as you're my friend too, that's all that matters…/

Ash nodded slowly, knowing she had something else in mind. But he didn't pry; instead, he just stood there facing her, his hands on her shoulders, resting his forehead against hers… and finding nothing out of the ordinary about it. As if it was as natural a gesture as breathing. Latias swallowed, before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around his midsection in a hug. Ash hugged her back, holding her close to her and feeling nothing but the rapid pulse in his head, the way his breathing had suddenly quickened and grown shallower… He had no idea what he was doing, but it seemed completely right.

…And Alexander's words all came back to him.

Ash did care for Latias. He did have a feeling for her deep down, something that bound him to her and her to him. There was something that made him think of her always and want to keep her close at all times.

And all of a sudden, Ash wondered if this was love.

Latias had said she loved him, but had she meant it that way? Or had she just placed forth the words innocently and frankly, like a child might? He had to know. This was his moment.

"Latias… when you said…" Ash began, his voice quiet and high with nervousness. "…When you said that you loved me, what did you mean?"

Latias looked up at him in a startled way, and Pikachu and Nalia exchanged knowing smiles. /Oh! Um… I meant… that is…/

/Be honest, Latias/ Nalia chided to her friend gently.

Latias took a deep breath, trying to calm her thoughts. Then, looking up at Ash, she spoke clearly and confidently, surprising even herself. "I meant what I said. I love you. I know it seems so strange… and I was afraid that you would be disgusted with me. That a Pokémon could fall in love with a human. And to be honest, I'm not even sure I know what love means. But somehow, I feel it. I know it. And I believe it. For what it's worth, Ash Ketchum… I love you."

Ash didn't even know how to respond. His mouth moved, but no words would come forth. All that ran through his mind was the echoing of her words. She loved him. And the realization that he loved her as well. It was strange, no mistake. But it was true. He had never felt like this for anyone, had never felt so candid and confident in letting one see his inner thoughts and emotions… until he met her. It was real. He could feel it and know it and believe it, too. "Latias…" he breathed, his throat and mouth dry with amazement. "…I'd never be disgusted with you. I… I feel exactly the same way… I can't describe it, but all I feel for you is there… I love you… Latias…"

Tears filled Latias's eyes at his words. Being a Psychic-type, she could feel every emotion that now came to the surface of Ash's words. And it was everything that she felt for him. At that moment, she knew that this was destiny. This was the prophecy. The Child of Legendaries and the Chosen One of humans coming together… It was all meant to be.

Holding her even closer to him, Ash pressed his cheek against hers, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. In the space of only a few moments, everything hidden deep within had come to light. He understood all of this now, all that he had felt. And in those moments Ash realized he had matured more than he had in the past several years... Without even thinking, he found his lips brushing against her cheek, in a feathery, gentle kiss that Latias could not have possibly felt… And yet, she did. She looked up in surprise, blushing at his gesture. Ash blushed as well, before slowly moving to meet her lips with his own. Latias wasn't quite certain what this was, but she willingly allowed his lips to brush against hers. The tingle of excitement that went through her left no doubt that this was a gesture of love in humans… the gesture that she had seen other humans exchange with one another. A kiss.

However, the moment was shattered by a net suddenly shooting out from behind them, ensnaring them within the tight cords. Pikachu and Nalia cried out and immediately began to struggle, and Ash held Latias close as he turned to where the net had come from.

"Who's there?" Ash yelled, trying to push off the net with one hand. He stopped short as several people in black leaped out of hiding, one holding a net-launcher over his shoulder. Upon spying the red R's on their uniforms, Ash narrowed his eyes. "Team Rocket!"

A feminine laugh cut the air, and a familiar girl with a black, long-stemmed tulip in hand stepped through the ranks through the front. "Very perceptive, Ash Ketchum!" she smiled, pointing the tulip at him. "Sorry to interrupt such a tender moment, but we have a Legendary Pokémon to capture!"

"Domino!" Ash yelled, recognizing the Team Rocket agent. "What are you talking about?"

Domino smiled. "Don't play stupid, Ash!" she said. "We know your little girlfriend is actually the Legendary Pokémon Latias. The boss, I'm sure, would love to have her in his collection!"

"There's no way!" Ash continued defiantly. "I won't let you take her!"

"Well, that's just too bad, little boy. You can't stop us." Domino turned to one of the men beside her. "Activate submission charge. We're taking them back to the hideout."

The man pushed a button on a control pad in his hand, and instantly an electric charge similar to the attack Thunder Wave flowed through the cords of the net. Even Pikachu could not stand up to this electric jolt, and he, Ash, Latias, and Nalia fell unconscious to the ground as the Team Rocket members closed in around them.

* * *

…Team Rocket just ruins everything, don't they? Especially sweet, fluffy, romantic scenes that I spent lots of time on and that really surprise me. I was convinced I could never write a romantic scene with Ash in it that was believable… and yet, I did. Will wonders never cease…? 

Hahaha, and now Latias has some competition for Ash. From Bayleef. I always thought Bayleef liked Ash, though I shudder to think that one could contemplate a romantic between the two… One-sided only. Otherwise, it's just… weird. Latias and Ash seems fine only because Latias can take a human form. (shrugs) That helps… Though, I wonder how Ash would feel if he knew his main fangirls were all Pokémon. (laughs)


	11. Chapter 11: You Can't Save Me

**Bound To The Dragon's Heart**

**Chapter 11: You Can't Save Me**

"Something's wrong…"

Lance looked up from where he stood at his open window, slightly startled at Will's sudden declaration. "What? What's wrong?" he asked, regarding his friend with a worried expression.

The young psychic was sitting stiffly on the edge of Lance's bed, his eyes fixated somewhere past the Dragon Master to the sky beyond. "I… I can't feel Nalia's mind anymore… nor Ash's or Latias'…" he whispered fearfully, his worried eyes hidden behind his dark purple sunglasses. "I fear something may have happened to them…"

"No… that can't be…" Lance breathed, his face growing pale. How could this happen all of a sudden? What could have happened? There had been no indication that someone was after the Chosen One and Child of Legendaries! So what…?

A knock came at the door all of a sudden, startling both Lance and Will. "Lance? You're in here, right?" asked Lorelei, on the other side of the door. "Brock from Pewter City is here to see you… He said he has something very urgent to tell you."

Lance and Will exchanged an almost horrified look. "Tell… Tell him… I'll be right there," Lance replied.

As soon as Lorelei's footsteps had faded down the hall, a slow snarl slowly escaped the amulet about Lance's neck, and the young Dragon Master flinched as Rayquaza spoke, slowly and dangerously. _"It is just as I feared… Something has happened to our Chosen… This should not have happened!"_

"_Rayquaza… I'm sorry, I didn't think that anything should have happened to Latias or Ash so soon after we found them…"_ Lance began.

"_That is not the point, Lance!"_ Rayquaza snarled, the fury evident in the Dragon/Flying-type's voice. _"They should have remained in your sight at all times! Now everything could come undone! How could you allow this to happen?"_

/Do NOT blame this on Lance, Rayquaza/ Will said sharply, unable to stay silent. /He could not have known, and we have no right to restrict Ash and Latias anyway! Can we not trust in their own power, and hope that they'll be all right until we find them? Can't they—/

"_Will."_

Stunned to silence, Will could only listen as the Lord of Dragons continued, in a quieter but still angry tone of voice. _"You mean well… and your devotion to Lance is admirable, Affinity of Psychic. But you cannot understand. You cannot understand how important this is—"_

"_Do not say that, Rayquaza,"_ came a fourth voice, this one a harmonious trill of birdsong, a welcome change from the harsh growls and snarls of Rayquaza and his chosen Dragon Master. _"You should know better. Of course Lance and Will know how important this is. They may not remember, but they do know, deep down…"_

Will gasped softly at the beautiful song. /Ho-Oh… Rainbow Phoenix of Johto… You speak with us once again…/

Ho-Oh's voice was severe as she continued speaking to Rayquaza. _"Lance always tries so hard to do his best… You should appreciate that," _she chided. _"And Will is right—can we not believe that the Chosen One and the Child of Legendaries will find a way to get through this? They are not helpless, after all."_

Rayquaza was silent for several moments. _"…So… you really think Ash and Latias will be able to be take care of themselves?"_ he asked, almost skeptically.

"_Rayquaza… I would think that you would know best of all… that prophecy depends on the strength and trust of those involved. If we cannot trust them to fulfill it themselves, there is no hope. We cannot do it for them—it rests on them alone."_

"…_I see."_ Rayquaza sounded slightly ashamed as he turned his attentions to Lance once more. _"My chosen. Forgive me for my accusations against you. You are doing an excellent job… and I should not be trying to fulfill this prophecy any way I see fit… even at the expense of our trust, our friendship."_

Lance smiled softly, nodding to assure Rayquaza all was well. _"It is forgiven," _he said. _"I find it well that you still have much to learn yourself…"_

Rayquaza gave a snarling laugh. _"Ah… I deserved that, didn't I? Very well… Go now, and see what you can do to aid Ash and Latias, whatever the obstacle they may face is."_

Lance laughed, and bowed respectfully as the presence of Rayquaza and Ho-Oh faded away. He then turned to Will and smiled warmly at his longtime friend. "Will… Thanks for sticking up for me…" he murmured.

"Of course, Lance," Will replied, smiling as well. "You're my friend, I wasn't going to stand there and let Rayquaza belittle you needlessly. Even if he is the Lord of Dragons."

"…You hold me in too high a light, Will," Lance mused, turning away from Will and slowly striding towards the door. "I don't deserve that."

Will watched his friend exit the room with a secret smile. "Believe me when I say… you deserve every bit," he said with a soft laugh, before slowly following behind the Dragon Master down the hall, to where Brock would be waiting.

Hoping that whatever he had to tell them was not as bad as they thought…

* * *

When Ash finally came to, he found himself staring at a cracked and peeling ceiling, from which one bare light bulb hung. Wincing at the light, Ash groaned and sat up, looking around in confusion. He was in some sort of barred cell on one side of a small room, locked securely by a large padlock. Ash got up and came up to the bars in order to better see beyond them. It seemed as if he were in an office of some sort… where, he wasn't sure. 

On a table to one side, he saw his Pokéballs—no doubt, Team Rocket had taken them from him and used them to catch all his Pokémon again—and, of course, his Pikachu, in an electric-proof cage. At least, it had to have been electricity-proof, or Pikachu would have broken himself free by now. Next to Pikachu's cage was Nalia, in a small birdcage glowing with dark purple light. In the center of the room was a large cage, glowing with dark energy as well. Ash squinted to see past the dark light, and saw a red and white form lying on the bottom of the cage, a form he recognized to be…

"Latias!" Ash cried, vainly trying to push his way through his cell bars to get to her. "Latias, are you ok? Wake up! Please!"

/Ash, she can't hear you/ Nalia said sadly, from where she was caged. /These cages are charged with dark energy, much like a Dark-type's power. She exhausted herself trying to use her Psychic energy to break free, and now she's sleeping./

Ash gave Nalia a despairing look, before glancing back at Latias. "So she reverted back to her Pokémon form?" he asked softly, hurt to see Latias so tired and weak.

Nalia peeped in acknowledgement. /That's right… Only in her Pokémon form can she truly attack with her Psychic power. Not that it made much difference…/

"Pika-pi… pika chu pika…" Pikachu said sadly, mirroring Ash's worried thoughts.

"Do you know where we are?" Ash questioned.

"…As a matter of fact, I do," came a familiar voice, as the door to the office clicked open and a figure stepped into the room.

Ash's heart leaped hopefully for a moment. "Alexander? Boy, am I glad to see you!" he cried. But his hopes quickly dimmed upon seeing the serious expression on the older teen's face, shadowed slightly by long, aqua-green bangs.

"You shouldn't be, Ash…" Alexander replied harshly, striding over to Latias' cage and allowing himself a peek at the rare Pokémon within. "Not when I'm the reason you're here in the first place."

"You… what? Are you saying you're with Team Rocket?" Ash shouted. "You… How could you? I thought we were friends!"

Alexander's expression grew even harsher. "Look, I'm sorry, ok?" he snapped, turning to face Ash. "It's nothing personal. It's just a job."

"A job?" Ash repeated. "What do you…?" His words faded as Alexander turned slightly to indicate a longsword hanging in a sheath on his left hip, which Ash never remembered seeing there before. "What…?"

"I haven't shown you this, have I, Ash? This is my longsword, the Aquatic Night." With a rattling of metal, Alexander drew the sword in one practiced move, flourishing the beautiful blade as if it were the most precious thing in the world to him. The large sapphire pommel stone gleamed slightly from the overhead light shining off it, as if to announce that it was the reason for the sword's name. Alexander smiled unpleasantly. "I feel obligated to introduce myself truly to you, now. I am Alexander Tokaru, traditional mercenary from Johto. Dubbed the 'pirate prince of Johto' for my expertise in the criminal arts."

Ash's hands tightened around the bars of his cell hatefully. "You… So you're working for Team Rocket?" he asked.

"For the moment, yes. Once Giovanni arrives to inspect Latias and gives me my reward, I'll be gone. The money's all that matters to me."

"You're willing to trade Latias in for money? You dirty—!"

"I said I'm sorry!" Alexander shouted, clearly frustrated with Ash's accusations. "But you don't—can't!—understand what this is all for… A goal I've been working towards for eight years!" The young mercenary sighed, and concentrated on making slow, practiced circles and weaves in the air with the tip of his sword blade. "I've been committing crimes like these since I was ten years old. You can't possibly condemn me any more than I already have been, Ash…"

Ash bit his lip, silently confused at what Alexander was talking about. But who cared what Alexander's problems were? All Ash cared about was getting out of here, getting Latias and Pikachu and his other Pokémon out of here. Nothing else. "Let us go, now," he demanded. "I don't know what your goals are, but you don't need to do this to reach them!"

Alexander laughed. "On the contrary, Ash, I do." He sheathed his sword just as quickly and easily as he had drawn it, and turned to leave, his ponytail flicking through the air in an infuriating way, the sort of way where Ash just wished he could rip it out of the young mercenary's head. "And I apologize."

"Wait, Alexander!" Ash yelled, desperate for any way to get out of this mess. "I… I know you don't want to do this! Latias even said so—you have a good heart! You know this is the wrong thing to do!"

Alexander stopped halfway out the door, silent for several long moments. Then he laughed again, shaking his head helplessly. "…I'm sorry, Ash… I really, truly am. But you can't save me… Just worry about saving yourself." With that, Alexander left, the door slamming shut behind him.

"No! …Darn it!" Ash exclaimed, feeling helpless. In a fury, he shook and pounded at the bars blocking his way as hard as he could, tears of pain and frustration welling in his eyes. How could this happen? Now what would become of the prophecy…?

"Great… I already failed Lance…" he groaned, sinking to his knees. "I knew I was going to mess up… I wasn't meant to be anyone's Chosen One…"

"Pika-pi…" Pikachu whispered.

/Ash… Don't say that…/ Nalia said.

Ash pounded his forehead into the bars before him, allowing the tears to run down his cheeks freely, not caring who saw him. He had failed his friends, his Pokémon… and Latias. It wasn't fair… More than anything, Ash wanted to hug her again and apologize for this, for everything that had happened. But she couldn't even hear him now. And she would soon belong to the head of Kanto and Johto's most powerful criminal syndicate…

"Latias… I'm so sorry…"

* * *

"Where are we going?" Misty demanded in a harsh whisper, shifting Togepi from one arm to the other as she crouched next to Sam behind a low fence. "You haven't even told me what we're going to do." 

Sam didn't even so much as glance at Misty. "We're going there," she stated matter-of-factly, pointing to the Viridian City Gym only a couple yards away.

"What for?"

"Because… Alexander is a mercenary. Which means that if we're going to find him anywhere, it'll be where there's criminal work to be had. And surely you know that this used to belong to Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket. A perfect client for a mercenary like Alexander."

"But I thought Pokémon League shut it down once they found out," Misty countered. "Why would Giovanni be back in the very same city he was expelled from by Pokémon League itself?"

"Because… Pokémon League doesn't realize that Team Rocket owns the company right next to the Gym," Sam replied, ruffling Joey's head fur absently as she kept a watchful eye on the Viridian Gym. "See those warehouses? Normally they store supplies for all the businesses in Viridian City's market… But when needed, they can also serve as a temporary Team Rocket base."

Misty was baffled by Sam's statement. "But I thought you were a member of Pokémon League!" she cried. "If you know all this, why haven't you told the rest of the League?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "I don't have any concrete evidence of their activities, I just know that Team Rocket's there," she said, sounding impatient. "I mean, if you consider half of the criminal activities that occur in nearby cities, it only makes sense that it would have to be carried out from this city… Not to mention…"

Misty sighed as her friend went into a long and detailed description of how Sam's experience in facing Team Rocket and their criminal deeds led her to believe that Team Rocket was still operating in Viridian City. That was Sam for you. A kind, noble-hearted sort, but with an "I know more than thou" attitude in nearly everything concerning Pokémon—or in this case, the criminal team threatening said Pokémon. _I can only wonder if being Grand Master hasn't gone to her head…_

"Ok, I think the coast is clear," Sam said, pricking Misty to attention. "You see that guy? I think he's a guard for them… He's been patrolling back and forth for a while now, and I see an opening to get past. Come on, let's hurry."

Misty quickly got to her feet and climbed over the fence behind Sam, following her around to the back of the Viridian Gym and along the side of one of the three warehouses supposedly controlled by Team Rocket. The two girls stopped and peered back around the corner to see if anyone had spotted them, but nothing.

"Whew! That was close…" Sam sighed. "For a moment, I thought we might be seen…"

"What? I thought you said the coast was clear!" Misty accused.

Sam sweatdropped. "Well… it was… just… not as clear as I might have led you to believe!"

Misty groaned, and grabbed Sam's arm. "You're hopeless… Come on, I'm leading the way now… There must be a door to get into this warehouse somewhere nearby…" She began searching the side of the building, Sam getting dragged along behind her.

"Hey! Let go of me! This isn't fair; I said you could tag along, not the other way around! Misty—!"

* * *

"You're not serious." 

Brock nodded at Lance's stunned expression, kicking his toe into the tile of the Elite Four Headquarters' main lobby anxiously. "I'm completely serious. Alexander turned out to be some mercenary all along, and now I'm afraid he may be trying to catch Latias, if he hasn't already."

Lance cursed to himself. "…I should have known!" he berated himself. "I should have recognized that name… Sam's family even told me about the time he tried robbing them!"

Will patted his friend's shoulder comfortingly. "So… where is Sam now?" he asked Brock.

Brock sighed. "…Um… I'm afraid she's gone with Misty to try and find Alexander themselves," he admitted.

"WHAT!" Lance screamed. "…That… Argh! Sam, why don't you ever listen to me, you never learn, do you!" He instantly strode past Brock towards the exit, not even bothering to wait as Will and Brock quickly took off after him.

"Lance, do you know what you're doing?" Will asked, but received no response for his trouble.

"Will, what's going on? Does Sam do this often?" Brock asked, confused, as he and the young Elite Four member followed Lance out the doors and towards the parking lot, where Will's car was. They had to get to Viridian City fast.

Will sighed, fishing around in his pocket for his keys. "Yes… Sam is known for taking off on dangerous adventures by herself, with no advance warning… And, of course, Lance always worries himself to death over it…" he explained. "But I don't think we have to worry about Sam too much… She's quite capable of taking care of herself, and our real concern is for Ash and Latias."

"Right," Brock replied, though in his mind, concern for Misty pushed its way to the front as well.

_I hope she and Ash will be all right…_

* * *

"Agent 009 reporting in, Giovanni sir!" 

Giovanni smiled from behind his desk, petting his Persian contentedly. "At ease, Domino. What is the report?"

Domino could not hide her excited grin as she spoke. "The capture of Latias was a complete success!" she said. "We captured her, as well as the Pokémon trainer Ash Ketchum and the Pokémon that were with him. They have all been placed in appropriate holding cells and are awaiting your inspection, sir."

Giovanni grinned. "Excellent… very excellent indeed!" he said. "Congratulations. And where is our young mercenary friend, whom we have to thank for this?"

"Not sure, sir… I think he went to speak to the prisoners himself, before you arrived."

"Ah, very well. We must take care to reward him… mustn't we?"

Domino nodded. "Indeed we do, sir."

"I will be ready to inspect Latias momentarily," Giovanni continued. "In the meantime, find one of my treasurers so that they might prepare a suitable reward for Alexander. I always keep my promises, after all, and I did promise that he would be rewarded handsomely for his time and services."

_He doesn't need any more handsome than he already has,_ Domino couldn't help but think to herself. _You don't get much more bishonen than that…_

"Very well, then. Dismissed."

Domino saluted, and then left Giovanni's office. The crime leader smiled to himself as she departed, thinking about the rare Pokémon he now had in his clutches.

* * *

Misty had been quite proud of herself for discovering a carelessly unlocked door into the warehouse, but her pride was starting to fade fast as she slowly came to realize that she was lost within the many halls and storage rooms within. 

"Misty…" Sam groaned, her initial enthusiasm quickly evaporating like water under the summer sun. "I told you we should have taken each hall one room at a time… Now we're completely turned around."

"I know that," Misty snapped, glancing back and forth down the hallway before her, unsure as to whether she should turn left, right, or keep going forward. "Relax, ok? We'll find our way out. Let's just keep looking for Alexander."

Sam's frown deepened. "You know, if you think you're going to be able to change Alexander's heart, you're mistaken," she commented.

Misty whirled around defensively. "What? Who said I wanted to do that?" she asked.

Sam straightened her sunglasses nonchalantly. "Well, I mean… isn't that what we girls like to do? Save the guy from himself, if not be rescued by him first?" she mused. "…I know you like him, Misty. But he's not going to change for you…"

"Oh, so what, he's going to change for you?" Misty challenged.

"What? You must be crazy; I don't want to change him!" Sam cried. "I just want to make sure he can't hurt anyone else with his criminal acts. And bring him to justice for when he tried to rob my family. That's all!"

Misty shook her head. "You can't fool me, I know you like a cute guy as much as anyone else!" she accused.

"That has nothing to do with anything!" Sam insisted.

"Look, I'm going to talk to him first when we see him, so you'd better not get in my way, ok?"

"Fine, go ahead, see if it helps anything! I'm telling you, he's a criminal!"

"Maybe he's just—"

"My, my… Two beautiful girls fighting over me, I'm flattered." As soon as Alexander's voice filled the hall, Sam and Misty quickly turned to see the young mercenary come up behind them, a soft smile playing on his lips.

"Alexander!" Misty gasped. "Please say it's not true!"

Alexander frowned slightly. "Say what's not true?"

"That you're a criminal! There has to be some kind of mistake… You even said we were friends!"

"Well, Miss Misty… I wasn't lying when I said we were friends… I do think you're a very sweet girl. But alas, I cannot lie—I am indeed a criminal," Alexander acknowledged, a theatrical sigh escaping him.

Sam rolled her eyes noticeably, and Alexander brightened at noticing. "Well now, isn't this a pleasant surprise? My dear Samantha McPhoenix, what a blessing it is to see the beautiful young Affinity of Fire once more," he exclaimed.

"You can quit all the flattering, I know what you're all about," Sam accused. "Now what are you planning? Don't tell me you've sold your sword to Team Rocket again!"

Alexander shrugged. "Does it really matter who I sell it to, as long as I get a tidy profit from it?" he asked.

Sam crinkled her nose at him. "You're disgusting… I hate people like you, who think that money is everything," she spat.

"…My dear Miss McPhoenix, I thought you said you knew what I was all about," Alexander murmured, sounding a bit hurt. "I do not think, in any way, that money is everything… There is only one everything to me… and raising money for that cause is the only reason I do this."

Misty stepped forward, feeling a bit more confident. "Alexander… Whatever your goal is, you don't have to do this to get there!" she insisted. "There are other ways… being a criminal isn't the answer!" She glared up at him, as if by willpower alone she could get Alexander to come over to her side.

"Who's trying to change him now…?" muttered Sam.

Alexander heaved a sigh, as if he'd been through this a million times already. "My dear Misty, as lovely as you are, you are not incentive enough to get me to change a habit already eight years in the making," he hissed. "You can't save me now."

Sam looked surprised. "Eight years?"

Misty lost her patience. "How do you know, you've never tried to see what it's like!" she accused, walking right up to him and poking him in the chest. "I can't believe you guys, always so stubborn! What makes you think you have to be a criminal to get things done? I'm not a criminal, and I'm quite happy with my life!"

At Misty's harshly spoken words, Alexander seemed to just suddenly snap. With a sudden movement, he grabbed Misty's free arm with one hand, and pushed her against the wall, pinning her hand above her so she couldn't do anything. Togepi wailed in Misty's other arm, and Sam started forward, wanting to help but unsure what she could do without Alexander hurting Misty.

"Do… not… tell me what to do with my life," Alexander snarled, his azure eyes narrowed with anger as he glared into Misty's frightened face. "You have no idea what it's like to be in my shoes… to live with the memories I have… I have only one vindication in life, and I will fulfill it, no matter what may come of it! I don't care if I sin; I have enough blood on my hands as it is!" His voice grew softer, almost desperate, and he turned to look at Sam as he continued. "You don't know what it's like... Would you be able to survive losing nearly everything you hold dear? Would you be able to live burning for a redemption that will never come? Would you be able to live caring for nothing, not even your own life, as you strive for a goal that grows harder to see with each passing year?" He paused, and then smiled slightly. "…If it all came down to it… would you die for the one you loved…?"

Sam swallowed nervously, visibly growing pale at his burst of emotion; she had never guessed that this side of Alexander even existed. Even Joey, braced on her shoulder to protect Sam if need be, shuffled with apprehension.

At Sam's lack of response, Alexander adopted a bitter smile, and turned to address Misty again. "…So don't think that you, Misty, can sway me from the path I've been walking nearly half of my life… because you can't. You can't save me…"

An awkward silence fell over the hall, with Alexander obviously remaining deep in thought, and Misty and Sam too stunned to even think of an action. But before Sam's mind slapped her back into action, told her to do something to get herself and Misty away from the overly angst-ing teenage mercenary in front of her… Alexander suddenly pulled Misty towards him, holding her before him with her arm wrenched painfully behind her back so she couldn't escape. She gave a yelp of pain at his action, and Togepi cried loudly out of fear.

"My utmost apologies," he said softly, appearing to have regained most of his composure again. "But I'm afraid that I can't have you two wandering about, causing trouble for me and my employers. I think you two will have to come with me."

"Sam! Get out of here, forget about me!" Misty yelled, struggling painfully against Alexander. "Go find someone who can help!"

"I wouldn't go anywhere, Miss McPhoenix," Alexander warned, before Sam could even decide what her action would be. "I would think by now you know better than to think I was going to let you thwart me again." At his words, his Persian slunk out of the shadows behind Sam, blocking her way of escape. The sleek, black Pokémon gave a hiss to warn Sam that she was not afraid to attack.

Sam sighed, knowing for the moment she was beat. There wasn't much of a fight she could put up in such a narrow hallway, and she didn't want to drive Alexander to hurting Misty out of desperation, either. But she didn't quite mind… much. Somehow, she had wanted to get captured. There was more to this whole thing and she was going to figure out what it was… one way or another.

"So are you going to come without a fight?" Alexander asked challengingly.

Sam nodded, her expression neither frustrated nor hateful. Instead, it was just matter-of-fact, as if she didn't really care. "I am. Just don't hurt Misty, ok?"

Alexander nodded, loosening his grip on Misty's arm slightly. "I won't. I promise." He held out a hand to Sam, who took it with reluctance, and gave it a small kiss. "You always were a wise one, Miss McPhoenix..."

"I try to be…" Sam murmured, before she looked up into his azure eyes with a mix of pity and worry. "Alexander…?"

"Hm?"

"…What on earth has happened to you…?"

At Sam's quietly offered question, tears came to Alexander's eyes, and he shook his head at her.

"…Nothing I wish to relate… and nothing I would ever wish on you…"


	12. Chapter 12: Rescue Operation!

**Bound To The Dragon's Heart**

For those of you who thought I was dead… Ha. I laugh at thee.

Once again, the elusive Pichu Star returns with an even-more elusive update. And if anyone wants to know where I've been for months on end, there are these things called "school" and "end-of-the-year finals" that often do this to me. Oh, and "graduation." That was important too. Bwahaha. Pichu is a high-school student no longer. So take that. XD

Well, once again, I do the goofy thing of writing half of this at one time and then finishing the other half several months later, so I apologize if things seem awkward… It's been a while since I've written much of anything.

Again, something of a transitional chapter… I've still got inspiration going for the next chapter so after this I'm back to writing some more. Then after that, it's back to working on Pokémon Colosseum's next chapter. The life of an author is so exciting. (sighs)

Thank you to everyone who is still reading and reviewing. I'm really glad a lot of people still like this fic, despite how odd everything is… (sweatdrops) I'm glad there are people who can follow my strange mess of writing! Anyways, I really hope you all enjoy this, and I'll get the next chapter done as soon as possible. So here goes! Chapter 12!

**Chapter 12: Rescue Operation! Facing Down Rocket's Elite**

The silence was deafening.

Misty had heard that cliché many times before, but never understood how that could be possible. How could silence be deafening? It was contradictory!

It was only now, in the long silence of sitting in the cold and lonely Team Rocket cell, did she finally understand—the silence was going to drive her insane.

"Sam…" she muttered, just to hear words again. "How long has it been?"

From the other side of the cell, Sam lifted her head miserably from her knees and glanced at a watch on her wrist. "Two minutes since you last asked me," the young Grand Master replied tartly, "and thirty-five minutes since we were thrown in here."

Misty scowled at Sam's bitter tone and stood up. "I hate this!" she exclaimed. "We have no Pokémon, nobody knows we're here, and who knows what Team Rocket and Alexander are up to! They could be hatching a fiendish plot as we sit here, twiddling our thumbs!"

"What do you want _me_ to do about it?" Sam snapped, glaring at Misty through her pink-tinted sunglasses. "They took all our Pokémon away, and unless you think you can bash your head on those bars and get us out, we're going nowhere."

"Hmph." Misty turned towards the cell bars and stuck her face against them, trying to search the room for some way to escape. "Some Pokémon Master _you_ are."

Sam bristled slightly at the remark, but didn't reply. Instead, she tried to go over what she knew about the situation. Alexander was being hired by Team Rocket, no doubt so that Rocket members would not be risked during the Open House activities. Considering how well-guarded these warehouses had been when she and Misty arrived, it was also safe to assume Giovanni was spearheading the operation. After all, Viridian City Gym _had_ formerly belonged to him, before Pokémon League found out who he really was. And since Pokémon League was still working through the process of recruiting a new Gym Leader, it wouldn't have been hard for Team Rocket to use this empty gym and the surrounding buildings as a temporary base of operations.

Fine, fine. But what was Giovanni after? Why would Alexander hang around Ash and his friends? What did _they_ have that would interest Giovanni so? It wasn't as if they had any terribly rare Pokémon; surely there were better targets during the Open House…

Sam froze in mid-thought. Or… perhaps they did, and she didn't know it.

"Misty, do you have any idea why Alexander would have hung around you and your friends this whole time?" Sam asked.

Misty barely looked at her friend as she replied. "Beats me. Just wanted to toy with my heart, I suppose."

"Don't be ridiculous," Sam sighed, rolling her eyes. "That was just a ploy used to get closer to you. Do you have anything that Team Rocket might want? A Pokémon, some information…?"

"Well…" Misty thought about it. "I…" After several moments of pondering, she suddenly gave a sharp gasp. "Oh no!"

Sam perked up. "What? What is it?"

"L-Latias…"

Sam's eyes widened. "Latias? What do you mean? Don't tell me you own a Latias!"

"No, no, not me… Ash. Well… not really. You see, Ash found Latias at Indigo Plateau, where she had been trying to meet up with Lance, the Dragon Master. It turns out the two are part of a prophecy, and have to stick together until it is fulfilled." Misty's eyes lowered. "That girl… Lani… She was really Latias in human form."

Sam nodded slowly, trying to digest this. Was this the prophecy that Ho-Oh had told her of? If so, it would make sense why she had sensed something strange about Lani. But how would Team Rocket have learned of all this—?

"Misty, how did Team Rocket find out about this?" Sam asked, a sinking feeling filling her as she met Misty's upset expression. "Don't tell me…"

"I-I didn't tell Alexander that Lani was Latias," Misty insisted, tears filling her eyes. "But I did tell him we met Latias before…"

Sam shook her head. "Alexander must have picked up some information somewhere and put two and two together… He got close to you so it would be easier to capture Latias. That must be what happened."

"Oh… I-it's all my fault… I shouldn't have become so infatuated with him! I'm so stupid…" Misty sat down and tried to hold back her tears. "I'm sorry, Sam…"

"No… don't be sorry…" Sam crawled over to her friend and gave her a smile. "It's ok. You didn't know this would happen. Please don't be upset; it's not your fault."

"But still… Latias could be in danger and we're stuck here. And they took our Pokémon, too…"

The thought of her beloved Pokémon in Giovanni's hands, particularly her dear Joey, upset Sam. Worse, though, would be the fact that he had both Minty, her baby Mew, and Five-Star, the last of Team Rocket's Mewtwo experiments, at once. Who knew what terrible things Giovanni would do with them… She had to get them back somehow. But the only Pokémon they had at their disposal was… Togepi.

Sam glanced at the sleeping baby Pokémon nearby all curled up into a red-and-blue spotted white egg, taking a nap. When Team Rocket members confiscated their Pokémon, they chose to leave Togepi in Misty's hands after it had set up an ear-piercing wail of terror. Sam supposed they enjoyed their eardrums intact more than they did rare Pokémon… At any rate, Togepi might hold the key to their escape… _if_ it would wake up. And _if_ it had been taught to harness a decent attack of some sort, which, judging from the way Misty hadn't tried using it yet, it probably hadn't.

Sigh…

Getting to her feet, Sam stretched and crossed the cell to a tiny, barred window probably three feet higher than her head, leading to the outside. It wouldn't be humanly possible to escape this way, obviously. But maybe there was a view of something or someone that could help them get out of this mess. It was worth a try.

"Hey, Misty, give me a boost," she said, jolting Misty out of her saddened trance.

"…What for? You're not _that_ tiny; you can't fit out that window."

"Well, _obviously_. But I just wanna take a look."

Misty rolled her eyes. "Fine…" She trudged over to Sam, and—after a couple of false starts—managed to boost the smaller girl up so she was eye-level with the window.

Sam craned her neck up and stared through the tiny opening, trying to see where they were. All that was in her line of sight were the sides of other warehouses. She couldn't even catch a glimpse of the rest of the city. That scratched shouting for help off the list. No one was going to hear them from here.

"Can you hurry it up, my shoulders hurt!" Misty complained.

Sam didn't reply, but looked up as best as she could to the blue sky above. What if they were never found? She wished she was like Will and capable of communicating with her friends telepathically. She wished she had progressed enough in her spiritual training to call upon Ho-Oh directly—not that she actually expected the Rainbow Phoenix to descend out of the sky to rescue them or anything. But most of all, she wished she didn't feel so helpless. Sam wasn't used to that…

_Bleh… serves me right, I suppose…_

"Sam… I… can't… hold you anymore!" At that precise moment, Misty's arms gave out and she dropped the Grand Master in an undignified heap on the cell floor, nearly crushing poor Togepi. Startled, the egg-like Pokémon woke up and—like any baby would—began to cry.

_Very_ loudly.

"BUREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE…!"

Sam instantly clapped her hands over her ears, and Misty swept Togepi up into her arms in a vain attempt to soothe the baby Pokémon. "Oh, Togepi, don't cry! It's ok! Calm down!" Misty assured, though her words were easily drowned out.

"Make it stop!" Sam begged.

"I'm trying!"

"Some Rocket's gonna come in here and get us for sure!"

"I know, but—!"

"BUREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE…!"

The banshee wail echoed all throughout the Rocket hideout.

* * *

It had been about half an hour since Tracey had begun looking for Ash and Latias, and things were starting to look bleak. He should have at least heard something of them… but no. Nothing. At least not in Viridian City. Brock had gone to Indigo Plateau, so Tracey trusted him to take care of searching there. But still… half an hour gone by with no word was worrisome… 

The young Pokémon Watcher sighed and sat down on a bench near the Item Mart, wondering if this were somehow his fault. He should have been there for Ash since the two of them learned of this prophecy. Being the only other person to learn of it straight from the Dragon Master himself, Tracey felt he had some sort of obligation to help protect the prophecy as well. But no… He had figured everything would be ok and went off on a tangent drawing all that he could. Such artistic fervor was both a blessing and a curse… even his own parents had told him so.

"I can't help but wonder if maybe I could have helped to prevent all this, Marill," he confessed out loud to his Water-type sitting at his feet, looking up at her trainer worriedly. "…Maybe that's a stupid thought. But still. You can't help but wonder if there's something you could do better, right? I have a bad feeling something's happened to Ash and Latias…"

Marill patted Tracey's leg. "Marill mar," she soothed.

"I know; there's no changing it… But still…"

A few moments passed, with Tracey in silent contemplation as to where he might search next… when all of a sudden, Marill's ears pricked up.

"Mar? Marill marill?"

Tracey snapped to attention instantly. Marill was trained to listen for Pokémon sounds, which helped Tracey find rare Pokémon in the wild for drawing. Perhaps her ears had caught wind of Ash or Latias as well! "What do you hear, Marill?" he whispered excitedly, looking around for a possible sign of his friends.

Marill's rounded ears twitched, picking up some sort of Pokémon sound. It was faint at first… but it soon came very clear on the breeze.

"Burreee…"

Even Tracey became aware of it. "Wha? What's that?" he wondered, putting his ear to the wind to listen closer.

"Burreee…"

"Marill! Marill ma!" The Water-type knew that sound! She instantly began bounding off in a northwesterly direction, towards the general vicinity of the Viridian City Gym.

"Wait! Marill! Wait for me!" Tracey leaped to his feet and followed Marill, hoping that what she heard was a clue to his friends' whereabouts.

* * *

"Here you are, sir." The Team Rocket treasurer blushed lightly as she held out an envelope of money before Alexander, shying away from his gaze as she opened it to reveal the cash inside. "100,000 Pokéyen for a job well done. I hope it is suitable."

Alexander looked over it quickly and nodded. "Indeed it is, my dear. Such a… _generous_ reward. Give Mr. Giovanni my regards."

"Oh? Are you… leaving, then?"

"I'm afraid so…" Alexander purred, taking the envelope from the woman's hands and tucking it away. "A mercenary doesn't do well in one place for too long, you see. And now that I have my reward, and my client has what he wanted, there's no reason for me to hang around."

"I see." The Rocket treasurer shifted uncomfortably before continuing. "Um… Miss Domino wished to speak with you before you left, then…"

"Did she now?"

"Mm-hm…"

"Well, I'd best oblige her, then. Hate to leave a lady waiting, after all." With a sweet smile, Alexander turned sharply, ready to depart in search of said Rocket agent. But, as if on a thought, he turned back around and glanced at the treasurer, who still looked slightly disappointed. "Ah. And of course, I mustn't forget to thank you as well, for your time and effort."

The woman looked a bit startled. "Oh! Um… of course," she replied, blushing.

"I'm sure you're busy all the time… Keeping track of so much cash…" Alexander smiled ever so lightly as he practically glided his way back over to the young woman again. His voice transgressed into something of a purr as he continued. "It's refreshing to know that there are dedicated people who can do such a job well… I myself wouldn't be able to stand such a tedious and demanding job as yours, you know…"

The woman's face resembled a very ripe tomato by this point. "Oh… um… sir…"

"Tch, I have a name, lovely," Alexander chided lightly, his hand slowly running up her arm and across the back of her neck.

"…Alexander?"

"That's right…" Closing his eyes, he leaned forward and placed a very gentle kiss on her lips, eliciting a soft gasp of surprise from the young woman. She paused to give him a shocked stare, not expecting such a thing from him at all. In return, Alexander raised an eyebrow, as if to ask "What? It's not like you didn't want it deep down…" Realizing that, the woman plucked up her courage, before moving forward and giving the young mercenary a bolder kiss of her own. Alexander's fingers seemed to twine desperately around the strap holding an ID badge around her neck, and he broke the kiss just long enough to remove the bothersome accessory. His lips brushed against the revealed skin lightly, and a sigh from the young woman responded approvingly to the action.

Alexander smiled thinly, before deciding to move his kisses back to her lips where they rightfully belonged. Any other territory was a bit too much, and Alexander valued his honor too highly for such temptations. But still… he was having _way_ too much fun with this.

_100,000 Pokéyen is all that you're willing to reward me with, Giovanni?_ Alexander thought hatefully to himself. _I don't consider that a handsome enough reward. The last job I took for your miserable team was hardly worth the price… and now this? Mistake me for a mere child of a criminal and you will pay dearly. _

_Wait and see…

* * *

_

Tracey and Marill were now picking their way cautiously through the warehouses near Viridian City Gym, where the strange sound seemed to be coming from. The Pokémon Watcher had already spotted several Rocket members on guard duty, and it hadn't taken him long to put two and two together.

_So, Team Rocket is still here in Viridian? Seems like Giovanni hasn't given up his claim on his gym quite yet,_ Tracey mused. _But if they're willing to risk operating right smack in the middle of Open House, with all these people in town… they must be up to something big!_

He was so involved in his thoughts that he nearly let himself be seen by one of the Rockets on patrol. Marill, fortunately, was on top of her game, and tugged her trainer's pant leg harshly to snap him back to attention.

"Whoa… too close…" muttered Tracey to himself, hiding behind a corner in relief. "Thanks, Marill."

"Marill ma." The Water-type shrugged carelessly, as if to say, "Yeah, yeah… That's what I'm here for—to keep _you_ out of trouble."

It didn't take Tracey too long to realize that the sound they had been following seemed to be louder than ever where he had taken refuge. Much, _much_ louder. Marill scowled and covered her sensitive ears, and Tracey's eyes widened in recognition. That was… Togepi's cry!

"Misty! But… wait, what is _she_ doing here?" Tracey wondered, his sharp eyes seeking the source of the crying. It was then he suddenly noticed a small window at ground level not a few feet away, covered with bars but definitely where the sound was coming from. He glanced up at the warehouse it was attached to, before getting down on his hands and knees and crawling over to the window. One peek inside was all he needed to confirm his worst fears.

"Misty! Sam!" he exclaimed, upon spying the two girls vainly trying to calm Togepi. "What are you doing in there?"

The two looked up in surprise, and Togepi instantly stopped crying. "Tracey?" Misty gasped. "I might ask the same of you! How did you find us?"

"Marill heard Togepi's crying, and we followed it here," the young Pokémon Watcher explained, trying to size up why the two were in a cell inside this suspicious-looking building. "I was looking for Ash and Latias…" He then stopped short, horrified that he might have let slip the secret to Sam too soon. "Err, I mean, Lani!"

Sam smiled and shook her head. "No, Tracey. Misty told me everything about Latias. Don't worry."

Tracey flushed slightly. "All right… But, again, what are you two doing in here? With all these Team Rocket guys running around?" His face suddenly grew worried. "…Team Rocket is planning something big, aren't they?"

"Worse than that. They've already carried it out," Sam replied, averting her gaze to somewhere other than Tracey's questioning look. "Alexander was working for them the whole time, just like I kinda thought he might be, and now it seems he knew about Latias as well, even though you all tried to hide her secret. Even now, Team Rocket may already have gotten their hands on her."

The thought of sweet little Latias in the clutches of Team Rocket was unbearable. "We've got to do something!" Tracey gasped.

"We'd love to," Misty responded sarcastically, "but it's going to be tough when we've already been caught and locked up in this cell."

"Well…" Tracey looked around quickly, before he grabbed a Pokéball off of his belt and reached it to the bars to his friends. "Here. Use Scyther to get out of that cell."

Sam caught the Pokéball in her hands. "Thanks, Tracey… Now, you'd better get out of here and find Lance or something. If you stay any longer—"

"Hey! You, kid! Whaddya think you're doing!" A loud shout from behind Tracey caused him and Marill to whirl around, and stare straight up at a trio of tough-looking Rocket grunts. "Think you're gonna help those prisoners get away? Think again!"

Tracey quickly leaped to his feet and backed away from them. "Marill, Water Gun!" he commanded, and instantly the Water Mouse Pokémon leaped up and shot a jet of water into the Rocket grunts' faces. They sputtered and yelled for a moment, giving Tracey the opportunity to turn and run in the opposite direction, Marill right behind him.

"Oh, no you don't!" the first grunt yelled, grabbing a Pokéball and throwing it out in front of him. "Go, Primeape! Get that punk!"

"Nidorino, hunt him down!" yelled the second grunt, following his teammate's lead.

"You too, Haunter! Make sure he doesn't get away!" the third shouted.

The three Pokémon appeared with fierce cries, quickly following the young Pokémon Watcher as he and Marill ran off. The lead Rocket grunt took a quick glance into the cell window to make sure Misty and Sam hadn't somehow escaped, before leading his teammates after Tracey as well.

"I hope Tracey will be ok…" Sam remarked, looking worried. If those Rocket grunts caught up with Tracey, he would be hopelessly outnumbered.

Misty shook her head. "I'm sure he'll be all right," she assured. "Right now, let's get out of here."

"Right." Sam turned back to the cell door and released Tracey's Scyther outside the bars. "Scyther, please help us out! Use Slash on the lock!"

The Bug/Flying-type looked confused at first to see Sam giving him orders instead of Tracey. "Scy? Scyther scy?"

"We're in a Team Rocket secret base, and Tracey gave you to us to get out of here," Misty quickly explained. "He might be in trouble right now, so hurry and let us out so we can help him!"

At that, Scyther understood. He nodded and assumed a brief fighting stance, before lunging at the door lock with a cry. "Scy-ther!" With two lightning-fast Slashes, the lock fell to the floor in pieces, and the door opened.

"Great job, Scyther!" Sam congratulated, as she and Misty dashed out. "Now we've got to get out of here…"

Misty quickly ran past her friend and opened the door to the room, peering out into the hallway. "Hurry up, Sam, before somebody comes," she urged, Togepi clutched tight in her arms.

"Right… Scyther, let's go." Sam quickly followed Misty out of the room and down the hallway of the Rocket hideout as fast as she could, praying that Misty actually knew where she was leading them instead of running willy-nilly around the hideout. Hopefully, they could get out of this place quickly…

…But they immediately found that such prospects were too good to be true. Because standing in their way was none other than Agent 009 of Team Rocket herself… Domino.

"Well, well, I was told there was a bit of a commotion going on with you two ladies," Domino smiled, motioning to the one Rocket grunt at her side to prepare a Pokéball. "And it seems I got here just in time. Then again, I _am_ known for being extremely prompt…"

"Take a hike," Misty snapped, remembering this girl from when she and her friends had helped Mewtwo and his clones against Team Rocket. She knew Domino was bad news.

Domino shook her head. "How rude," she chided, flourishing a black tulip before her. "I'm afraid you're going to have to pay for that remark!"

Sam glanced around, noticing another hallway just behind and to the left of where she and Misty were standing. Maybe… "Misty, get ready to turn and run," she whispered. "I'll go a different way. If we split up, there's the slight chance at least one of us can get away."

"Gotcha," Misty replied softly, holding Togepi close and preparing to run.

"Sorry, but we've got no interest in paying you much of anything!" Sam shouted at Domino. "Scyther, Quick Attack!"

"Scy-ther!" The Bug/Flying-type quickly flew forward to the attack, straight at Domino and the Rocket grunt. As soon as he did, Misty turned and ran down the hall as fast as she could, trusting that Sam would escape quickly as well. At least, she'd _better_…

Domino quickly leaped aside to avoid Scyther's attack, leaving her Rocket grunt to get tackled fiercely. He yelped in pain as he was slammed into a wall, winded from the blow. Before Scyther could turn around and take care of Domino, however, the Rocket Agent tossed her tulip at it, which shocked Scyther with electricity and caused him to collapse to the floor.

Sam gasped. "Oh no, Scyther!" She quickly recalled the battle-worn Mantis Pokémon into his Pokéball, then turned and ran wildly down the other hallway.

"Don't think you can escape so easily!" Domino shouted. She turned to her Rocket grunt and pointed down the hall where Sam had gone. "You follow that irritating Miss McPhoenix," she commanded. "I'll take care of the brat with the Togepi. I don't care what it takes; just make sure she doesn't escape."

The Rocket grunt saluted, before tossing a Pokéball out. "Golbat, let's hunt!" he yelled, as the large Bat Pokémon appeared. The two quickly disappeared in pursuit of Sam.

Domino frowned, touching a communicator device on her collar. "All Rocket units, on stand-by," she commanded. "We've got a few miscreants running loose… Don't permit them to escape!"

* * *

Tracey ran for his life through the Rocket warehouse lot, Marill now in his arms, praying to whoever would listen to let him get back to the safety of Viridian City soon. He hadn't taken the time to turn and look, but he could tell the Rocket grunts and their Pokémon were still right on his trail. He could hear them. Marill squirmed in his arms, apparently protesting about something or other, but Tracey wasn't really paying attention; he had much more pressing concerns. 

_If I get captured, Lance won't know where to look for Latias and Ash before it's too late,_ he thought. _Team Rocket will be long gone by then! And then… then what? What will happen to everyone…?_

Just as Tracey caught sight of Viridian City beyond the warehouse lot, and his heart lifted with hope, Nidorino and Haunter suddenly appeared as if out of nowhere in front of him, causing him to stop short. Marill wailed in despair, and Tracey realized that she had been trying to tell him all along that those two Pokémon weren't behind them anymore. Whoops. Guess he should have listened…

"Looks like the end of the road for you, kid," the head Rocket grunt sneered from behind Tracey, his Primeape pumping its fists eagerly.

Tracey turned to face him and his two other teammates nervously. "You're not… gonna get away with this!" he shouted, realizing a bit too late how weak his words sounded. But really, how was he going to get out of this? He was far too outnumbered!

"Ohh… really?" the Rocket grunt sneered. "I think we'll have to disagree. Primeape, Nidorino, Haunter, get him!" The three Pokémon cried out in response and prepared to advance on the poor Pokémon Watcher.

"Venonat, go!" Tracey yelled, sending out his Bug/Poison-type Pokémon to somehow fight back. Marill leaped out of his arms and faced down her opponents with determination, ready to protect her trainer as well. "Venonat, use Sleep Powder! Marill, use Water Gun!"

"Veno-veno nat!" The bug Pokémon leaped to the attack against Nidorino and Haunter, spinning about to release spores of Sleep Powder, while in the other direction, Marill shot a jet of water against Primeape.

"Haunter, counter that Sleep Powder with Psychic!" shouted the third Rocket grunt.

"Ha-ha-haunter…" Laughing, the Ghost/Poison-type held its hands out, focusing a blast of Psychic energy at the Sleep Powder wafting towards it and making it go the opposite direction. The Sleep Powder hit Venonat instead of Venonat's opponents, and the Bug/Poison-type fell into a deep sleep.

"Oh no! Venonat, wake up!" Tracey gasped. But it was no good—the Sleep Powder had done its work.

The head Rocket grunt laughed at Tracey's misfortune. "Your turn, Primeape! Low Kick!"

With a wild cry, the Fighting-type leaped forward at Marill, barely fazed by the Water Gun she shot at him, and kicked the Water Mouse Pokémon straight back into Tracey, knocking the poor Pokémon Watcher over. Tracey held his fainted Pokémon close, wincing from the blow, and looked up at the Rocket grunts and their Pokémon looming over him.

"Nice try, kid!" the second Rocket grunt laughed. "But I think it's my turn to finish the job! Nidorino, take that kid down with Cut attack!"

The Poison-type roared and charged forward, his dangerous horn pointed straight at Tracey. Tracey could do nothing but watch in stunned shock, knowing that this attack would most certainly injure him severely, if not kill him…

"Girafarig, Psybeam!"

From out of nowhere, a beam of purple, psychic light shot out and hit Nidorino in the back, causing him to cry out and collapse to the ground right in front of Tracey. The Rocket grunts looked up in shock to see Will and his Girafarig step up, with Lance and Brock quickly coming up from behind.

"I think we can cite you three for a number of charges right there," Will smiled, a strange, dangerous glint in his purple eyes as he pointed forward. "Girafarig, Shadow Ball on Haunter, then Psybeam again on Primeape!" Before the Rocket Pokémon could even react, Haunter was taken out by Girafarig's powerful Ghost-type attack, and another Psybeam knocked Primeape unconscious.

The head Rocket grunt cursed. "It's Pokémon League!" he cried. "Let's get out of here!"

"Don't think you can get away that fast!" Lance smirked, flourishing a Pokéball and tossing it into the sky. "Aerodactyl, subdue them quickly!"

"Aeeeeerr!" The prehistoric Pokémon descended upon the fleeing trio with lightning speed and pounced on them, leaving them stunned upon the ground.

Lance smiled, and nodded at Will. "Think we got 'em."

In the meantime, Brock ran to Tracey and helped him up. "You ok, Tracey?" he asked.

Tracey nodded, and recalled his weakened Pokémon into their Pokéballs. "Yeah, I think so," he murmured. "How did you guys know to come here?"

"We really didn't, but Will sensed a tense battle going on over here, so, expecting the worse, we ran over," Brock explained. "We were already looking all over town to try and find everyone. And it seems we came just in time."

"Any later, and I would have been toast," Tracey shuddered.

Will came up and kneeled next to Tracey. "You're not hurt, right?" he asked, petting Girafarig's muzzle.

"Nope. Thanks a lot for saving me, Will."

"But of course."

Lance, with his cell phone to his ear to call the police, paused to regard Tracey with a smile. "I'm glad we got here in time… So, it seems Team Rocket is behind our troubles."

Tracey nodded. "Yes, and Giovanni, personally, I believe. They have Misty and Sam imprisoned, though I left them Scyther to help them escape. I have the bad feeling that Ash and Latias are around here somewhere as well."

"We should have known…" Will sighed, watching Lance's expression turn unpleasant. In fact, the young Dragon Master would probably have started getting all upset all over again, had it not been for the fact that he was now speaking to Officer Jenny on the phone, telling her exactly what the situation was with Team Rocket. "…I hate to ask, but did Sam know about Team Rocket being here?"

Tracey rolled his eyes. "I don't know, but judging from how she and Misty ended up here so fast, I can only assume she did."

"Idiot!" Lance hissed despite himself, shaking his head. "Why does she always do that? I'm going to kill her!"

Will laughed softly and got back to his feet. "Poor Sam… if she's truly to be Ho-Oh's Chosen, she's got a long way to go and a heck of a lot more to learn," he mused. "Ah well. First off, let's think. Ash and Latias, as well as Misty and Sam, are being imprisoned in here. The police will be arriving to secure the area, but you can bet Team Rocket will have a way to get out of here fast if they realize they're in trouble. So we've got to take them by surprise quickly, before they can prepare."

"All right," said Brock. "So what do we do?"

"Mm… I think… Lance and Tracey ought to go look for Ash and Latias. Yes, that would be best. You and I can go look for Misty and Sam. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good," Brock replied. Tracey nodded his agreement.

Lance finally snapped his phone shut. "I told Officer Jenny the situation. She and her police force will be here soon. In the meantime, I think Will's plan is a good one. Let's head in and take out Team Rocket from the inside."

"You're good at that, aren't you…?" Brock smirked, thinking of Lance's part-time job as a Pokémon G-man apprehending Team Rocket in covert operations.

"Aerodactyl, stay here and make sure these goons don't wake up and warn their friends," Lance instructed his Rock/Flying-type. "Officer Jenny will be here to apprehend them soon enough." The Dragon Master turned back to his friends, and nodded. "All right, let's go. The sooner, the better. Remember, if Giovanni's here, these will be some of Team Rocket's strongest members. They won't go down easily. All right then, if we're ready…"

With nods of agreement, the four set out to locate their friends within the Team Rocket hideout, hoping they could locate all of them before Team Rocket found out…

* * *

Hehe… Japanese episode-like title. (giggles) Cause I can. 

I felt foolish throwing out this chapter even though there's no Ash or Latias in it. But I had to set everything up with everyone else, too! I promise there will be plenty of Ash and Latias in chapters to come. No, seriously! And I wanted to write more about Tracey because I love Tracey lots and he doesn't get enough love and attention. (hugs him) So there.

I also noticed that this story seems to be getting more and more Pokémon-like than ever. I mean, in keeping with the spirit of the anime, I think. It's like the anime, but more exciting. I'm proud of myself.

Perhaps the Pokémon battles (however quick and one-sided they were) kept you mildly entertained? Maybe?

Oh, what the heck. All this chapter does is make you want to see more, right? (falls over) Why do I do this to myself? Anyways, read and review lots. It'll make me happy. And a happy author is much more likely to write stuff. And trust me, if I haven't been preoccupied with other exciting things (like the Pokémon JAA, yay!), then I've been bored and unhappy. Pichu wants more friends and encouragement. (sniffle)

…All right, I'm being stupid now. That's what happens after several months of no updating. (laughs) Anyways, thank you very, very much for reading this, I love you all. (hugs) Please review below, and I will update soon. Promise! Until then!


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